


Episode 1: We are Latnok

by WilliamShipley



Series: Kyle XY Season 4 [1]
Category: Kyle XY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-03
Updated: 2014-03-03
Packaged: 2018-01-14 10:19:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 23,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1262653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WilliamShipley/pseuds/WilliamShipley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this Episode, The events at the end of Season 3 shake up the relationships between the characters.  Kyle finally tells Amanda his story and Kyle and Jessi begin to understand more about Latnok, not only the threat it poses but the possibilities that it offers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trager Patio

(Previously on Kyle XY)

Kyle held Cassidy up by the throat, looking murderously into his eyes.

"You won't do it." Cassidy said.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because Grace Kingsley, my mother ..." Cassidy continued.

"What about her?

"She's your mother too. I'm your brother"

_I had never felt such anger in my life. At that moment, I wanted to crush the life out of Cassidy. How had Jessie been able to keep control knowing that he had killed Sarah? Foss had killed to protect me, could I do so to protect Amanda and the Tragers? What would Nicole think of me if I did? Jessie hadn't known what she was doing in the woods, but I had no similar excuse._

Kyle released his grip and Cassidy slid to the deck gasping for breath. Kyle looked at him lying there and saw Cassidy's electronic device lying amidst the broken glass. He picked it up, turned it over examining it, and then put it in his pocket. Cassidy's eyes followed him the whole time.

"You're not my brother. Josh is my brother." Kyle said, "We may be biologically related -- if what you are saying is true, but that doesn't make us family. This," he waved at the house behind him, "is my home. This is where my family lives."

"It's what it is, Mate." Cassidy responded.

"I don't care," Kyle insisted, "You keep trying to make me do what you want by threatening the people I love. You have to stop. All you are doing is making me more determined to fight you and the rest of Latnok. I don't want to spend my life worrying about my family. We need to put an end to this."

Cassidy said, "Mate, it isn't that simple, the senior members of Latnok have almost twenty years tied up in you. They aren't going to simply let you go off and be a teenager -- especially after today. Our mum certainly isn't and she's pretty determined to get what she wants."

"I'm pretty determined to get what I want too," Kyle responded.

_I had told Jessi that I didn't think my life would ever go back to being normal, and now I faced the fact that we could never be really free from Latnok. I had always thought of Latnok as having a single goal, but my time with Mark and Jackie and the other young members had shown me that some of them had the ideals that Adam had dreamt of when he founded Latnok, others had the flaws that sent Sarah into hiding. I needed to know more about the senior members. Were they all like Cassidy? What was Grace Kingsley's goal? What was she like?_

"I want you to arrange a meeting with the senior members," Kyle demanded. "I think it's time that Jessi and I met them."

"Kyle, you're the guy they want," Cassidy objected, "They think Jessi's too erratic -- and after last night, I certainly agree. I don't think it's such a good idea to bring them together. I think we better leave her out." Imminent death apparently averted he started to relax and regain his ability to be glib, "I'm sure they'd be glad to meet with you, though."

"I'm tired of you trying to drive a wedge between us," Kyle insisted, "Jessi and I are a team, they have to deal with both of us together, or neither of us. Tell them that. If they want me so badly, they can do it my way."

Cassidy looked down for a moment, "I'll try, but they're not going to like it."

Kyle reached down and grabbed his shirt lapels, pulling him to his feet then releasing him with a slight backward push so that Cassidy staggered back a couple of steps. Cassidy turned to walk away when Kyle said firmly, "And Cassidy ..." Cassidy stopped and looked back into his eyes. "I can do pretty much everything that Jessie showed you last night. If you ever hurt Amanda, Jessi or _any_ members of my family -- _I_ will kill you."

Cassidy, grim faced, gave a small nod started to say something, thought better of it, and walked away into the night.

Kyle picked up one of the chairs and set it upright; sitting down with the shards of glass and his life scattered around him, and gazed into the night.


	2. Jessi and Amanda Walking home

Jessi and Amanda walked in silence, their uneasy truce still in effect. Amanda, obviously struggling with her determination to let Kyle be the one to tell her his story, finally blurted out, "Is Kyle really the subject in the tank, 781227?"

"Of course," Jessi said, "that's obvious."

"And are you like him," Amanda continued, "Did you grow up in a tank too?"

Jessi said, "That, too, should be obvious by now."

The hint of hope was obvious in Amanda's question, "So you are brother and sister?"

Jessi's lip curled slightly at the obvious implications, "No, we have different progenitors; it's more like we come from the same small town. We have much the same abilities, though." She added with a bit of smugness, "And we have a sort of telepathy. Kyle was able to communicate with me when Nicole was injured. It's only 'fair' that you should know the special connection we have."

"Oh...," Amanda, dismayed, turned away as they continued walking.

Jessi's phone rang and she checked the caller id, it read 'Kyle'. She answered, "Kyle, are you all right? Did you get it done?" She listened nodding, "I'm fine. I'm just coming back with Amanda." She listened a moment longer and explained, "I had to go rescue her, Nate caught her breaking into his computer." She flinched at his response, "I sent her, Nate had copies of your files, we had to get them and you said I couldn't leave the house, so she had to go and do it." She listened for quite some time, clearly unhappy with what she was hearing, "We're almost home; you can yell at me when we get there."

Jessi closed her phone and stuffed it into her jeans, slumping slightly. Amanda tried to hide her smile.


	3. The Rack

The Rack was mostly empty. Nicole, Steve and Lori were sitting around a table while Josh was behind the counter making their orders.

Stephen said, "I don't know why Josh thinks he has to make our orders, he's not on duty tonight."

Nicole smiled, "He just needs something to do. He's nervous like the rest of us."

"I suppose so," Steven looked around impatiently, "So where's Kyle and why was it so important that we come here to meet him?"

Nicole opened her hands, "It was just a text. It said 'Important meet me at the Rack ASAP'. It was from his cell phone, maybe he was in a place he couldn't talk."

"Maybe he thinks someone's watching the house," Lori suggested. "It certainly is common these days. A girl can't undress in front of her window with all the spies in the trees."

Nicole looked up, "You don't ..." and stopped at Lori's grin. "Stephen, I just wish our family would get back to normal."

Stephen shrugged, "What's normal, would we recognize it anymore after Zzyzx, Madacorp, Latnok and a couple of super geniuses blowing out the circuits on a regular basis? He frowned, "What do you suppose was going on that blew out the dining room lamp this afternoon?"

Nicole shrugged, "Probably an emotional goodbye, there's an attraction building between Kyle and Jessie."

Lori nodded and ventured, "Probably more kissing."

"Kissing?" Stephen frowned, "I thought Amanda was the only girl for Kyle."

Josh had been giving everyone their drinks, "Whoa, kissing blows out the lights? What do you suppose a major make out session would do?"

"Josh...," Stephen attempted to quell him.

Josh continued unabated, "And imagine a lovers' quarrel - that could be dangerous for bystanders!" Stephen and Nicole exchanged consternated looks.

Nicole opened her hands, "I caught Kyle kissing Jessie the other evening. I've told him that it was inappropriate while they live together in our house." She shrugged, "he said he wouldn't but you know how that works once it gets started." She grinned at Stephen who grinned back. She sighed, "It's so awkward, I think of Kyle like a son and I'm trying to think of Jessi like a daughter. I've been trying to think of them as like a brother and sister."

Lori said, "When Jessi first told me she had a thing for Kyle, I was surprised, I thought that's what they were, but she said that they had different parents and that it was more like they came from the same small village." She shook her head, "Jessi has it really bad for him. I tried to get her to think about Cassidy."

Nicole started, astonished, "Cassidy!"

Lori held out an open hand, "Who knew? He seemed like a sexy British guy who was attracted to her. I thought I was helping her get close to him, but it was Kyle all along. It's always been Kyle for her."

Nicole shrugged, "I could tell she was really focused on Kyle, but as long as he only had eyes for Amanda I figured it would fade as she built other relationships. This really confuses things. I really don't want to have to deal with midnight trysts in my children's bedrooms!" Lori, Josh and Stephen all concentrated on drinking.

Stephen suggested, "If Kyle had brought Jessi home as a wife, and needed to live in our house you would be able to think of her as a daughter in law." Josh, eyes brightening, opened his mouth to say something and Stephen gave him a quelling look then continued, "That could be a normal situation."

"Yes, I suppose, but that isn't what happened," Nicole objected. "Neither one of them is ready to make that kind of commitment. Frankly, Kyle is still primarily focused on Amanda. He's just beginning to realize he also has an interest in Jessi. Jessi needs some stability to come to some sense of who she is." She shook her head, "It certainly doesn't help that she started out life with an artificial identity! Right now, Kyle is the only stable thing she can cling to. They don't need this, at least not now."

Nicole's phone rang, she checked the caller id. It was 'Kyle'. "Kyle we're here at the Rack where you wanted us. Where are you?" She listened, eyebrows rising, " _Cassidy_ sent us here?" She nodded, "We're on our way."

She turned to the others, "That was Kyle. The text message was a fake from Cassidy to get us out of the house. He was waiting when Kyle got home and there was some sort of fight. Kyle says he's gone now and that everyone is ok."

Stephen was already up, "We better get back."


	4. Trager House

Kyle closed the phone and put it back in his pocket.

_Everyone was on their way home. Now it was time for me to work out the next step. All I'd wanted was to have a normal life with my family and Amanda but Zzyzx, Madacorp and, from the beginning Latnok had wanted me, and looked at me as their property. Zzyzx was gone and Madacorp had lost interest but Latnok remained. Latnok was too big for Foss to fire bomb and I wouldn't let him do that anyway._

_The members of Latnok represented Adam's dream and Sarah's nightmare. Which were they really? I had come to realize that they were some of both. I had hoped to find they weren't a threat and that I could have my life back. But Cassidy was right; they were never going to simply forget me. I was too important to them. Whatever 'normal' meant for my life Latnok was probably going to be a part of it. And of Jessi's._

_I heard Amanda and Jessi's heartbeats as they came up to the house. At least they were home and safe._

Amanda's and Jessie came though the house looking for him with Amanda exclaiming when they came to the broken patio door. "Kyle, are you all right?"

Kyle swept her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm fine. Cassidy and I had a struggle, but no one got really hurt. The Tragers are going to have another mess to clean up, though."

He looked over at Jessi, hanging back, the feeling of rejection obvious in her eyes. He let go of Amanda to put his arms around Jessi, giving her a firm hug. He stepped back and said "I'm glad you're both safe, what happened? He looked at Amanda in astonishment, "You were stealing Nate's files on me?"

Amanda said, "I told you that he had files, I came over to tell you that he was going to be out and you would have a chance go get them but Jessi said you wouldn't be back in time and she couldn't leave the house -- she said that I had to do it! Why couldn't she leave the house, Kyle?"

Kyle smiled, "That's complicated. There are quite a few things that you have to know before the answer would make any sense. I suspect that if you and Jessi have been going through Nate's files, you've found quite a few of the answers already."

Amanda smiled, "I guessed that you were the one in the tank without a belly button, Jessi said so and said that she had grown up in a tank too."

Kyle looked at Jessi who said, "Even she could figure that out from what she saw."

Amanda sighed, "I really wanted to wait for you to tell me, but there was so much right in front of me. I still have a lot of questions, Kyle."

Kyle nodded, "And I guess I have a lot of answers. I've tried so hard to keep you out of this. I always wanted to protect you, but you're completely in the middle of it now." He looked at Jessi who shrugged. "But we have to clean up this mess, the Tragers are on their way home and I don't want Nicole to be too upset. Let me walk you home, we can talk tomorrow."

"I can walk myself home, it's just next door" Amanda objected.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be walking around alone tonight. I'm not sure where Cassidy went to."

Amanda smiled, "Still protecting me?"

"Always."

Jessi said, "I'll start cleaning up the glass."

Kyle nodded to her, "Thanks, I'll help you when I get back."

Kyle took Amanda's hand and led her though the house. It was, as she said, just a short walk. When they got to her porch, he said, "I'm really sorry Jessi brought you into this tonight, you know how much I've wanted to keep you safely out of it."

"I'm not, she did me a favor," Amanda answered then smiled, "although I'm sure she didn't mean to. I've wanted to know your story, to be a part of your life for so long." She sighed, "I may have gotten some answers, but I think I have more questions than I started with."

"We can talk tomorrow," Kyle assured her. "I'll answer them all -- at least the ones I know the answers to."

"Promise?" Amanda asked.

"I promise."

He took her in his arms and kissed her. She started for the door and turned back and said playfully, "And you can't make me tell you the same amount of things you don't know about me. That wasn't fair, there's no way I can match you!"

Kyle smiled, "I promise." She laughed and went inside. Kyle headed home.

_So many times I had wanted to tell Amanda everything. I always hated keeping it secret from her. Foss had told me she was safer not knowing. After tonight's events she will be safer knowing what is going on around her. Maybe she always would have been. Because of my secrets, I had told Amanda that we couldn't be together. Being able to have Amanda back will be the one good thing to come out of this night's events._

When Kyle got back to the patio, Jessi was finishing sweeping up the glass. He helped her pick up the last of it and put it into the trash. "That's all we going to be able to fix until tomorrow." He waved her to a chair, "I want to hear what happened at Nate's"

_Jessi explained how she had been in my room when Amanda came to tell me that there was a chance for me to get Nate's files. How she had sent Amanda to get them and worked with her over the internet to download his data, and how, when Nate caught Amanda she rushed over to the rescue. She told how they had gotten the rest of his files and Sarah's Latnok ring._

"What was Nate doing with Sarah's ring?" Kyle wondered. "I saw it in Cassidy's safe, why did he give it to Nate?"

Jessi frowned, "I'm not sure that Cassidy gave it to him. There were no messages in Nate's files between them. It really looked like something Nate was doing separate from Cassidy. Whatever it was, there was a lot of data."

Kyle, looked at Jessi's hand wearing the red Latnok ring, "I'm glad you've got Sarah's ring." He reached over and ran his fingers over the back of her hand and the ring. Jessi straightened as he touched her -- that 'electricity' thing, again. "Although, I'm not sure it's safe to wear."

He took the chain with Adam's ring from around his neck and set it down on the table. "Cassidy had this ..." he pulled the device out of his pocket and set it next to the ring, "it seemed to target my Latnok ring with an electrical charge from clear across the room -- it packed quite a punch! That's how Cassidy was able to get the advantage at first." Kyle frowned, "I seem to remember something like that happening the night of the prom, but there was so much going on that night I forgot it."

_I was able to access my holographic memory of coming out and finding Amanda missing. There had been a Latnok ring on the ground and, when I picked it up I felt an electric charge -- the memory ended there when I lost consciousness._

"Yes, that's how they kidnapped me. I don't think we should wear them until we know more about this." Kyle said tapping the device.

"I could try to reverse engineer it." Jessie offered.

Kyle answered, "I can do that." he noticed Jessi slump slightly, "Actually, you are probably better at devices than I am -- you certainly fixed Josh's car radio." Jessi brightened, "why don't you take a look at it?" He pushed the device and ring across to her.

"Right now?" She eagerly started to get up.

Kyle smiled at her enthusiasm, "No, tomorrow will do. If you need to do something that would damage a ring, I still have Ballantine's ring, I'll give it to you to work with too."

Jessi reluctantly took off Sarah's ring and set it next to Adam's. She put them and the device in her pocket. "Tomorrow, first thing, I promise." She looked at Kyle with a smile, "We did it! We tracked down and destroyed all the copies of the formula, you contaminated the culture. Latnok can't grow clones of you! Now, we just have to deal with Cassidy."

Kyle frowned. "I'm afraid there are still copies of the formula that Cassidy knows about and is trying to get."

Jessi tilted her head, puzzled, "We destroyed them all."

Kyle tapped his forehead, "I saw the formula, I remember everything -- and Cassidy figured out that I would. That's what the fight was about -- he was trying to force me to give it to him. He was pretty desperate."

Jessie sat back frowning. Kyle agreed, "Yes, of course, you do too -- but I don't think he's figured that out yet. He tries not to think about you. He's afraid of you."

A glint of rage came into Jessi's eyes, "He should be, I threatened to kill him if he hurt you or the Tragers -- and that was _before_ he killed Sarah!"

Kyle smiled grimly, "That was how _our_ conversation ended. I threatened to kill him if he hurt Amanda, the Tragers or you." Jessi gave a little smile at being included. He added, "I don't know if I could really kill someone."

Jessi looked down and said in a small voice "I did."

Kyle put his hand over hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I know, but I remember how confused I was when I first awoke. I was lucky nothing bad happened to me and that Nicole found me the next day. It wasn't your fault." Jessie looked up, her gratitude at his understanding plain, he continued "But I know that I am only alive because Foss killed to protect me, starting with Professor Kern. I don't know how many died when he bombed Zzyzx. I worry that the day may come when I have to -- and what that would do to me. Nicole is already very worried about me. I don't want to let her down."

"Do you think Cassidy will come after you ... or me?" Jessi asked.

"Maybe, but I don't think right away. He may be in trouble with Latnok. I think his project may not have been authorized." He reached and took Jessi's other hand, she sat upright, he said, "I told Cassidy that I wanted us to meet with the senior Latnok people."

As he expected, Jessi was taken aback, "Why should we meet with them? I don't trust them, Sarah didn't trust them ... and they killed her!"

Kyle continued to hold her hands and earnestly answered, " _Cassidy_ killed Sarah. We still don't know if any of the other members of Latnok were involved. I spent time at the Latnok group at the university trying to find out what they were like. Most of them were doing good work. Nate and Cassidy were the exceptions. We have friends there. We may have some allies among the senior members -- there were some that Adam still trusted. We have to know."

"They won't want to see me," Jessi protested. "They think I'm a mistake. Brian said they threw him out as punishment for creating me."

Kyle reassuringly squeezed her hands, "They are mistaken, about that and many things. I told Cassidy that we were a team and that they had to deal with us together or not at all." Jessie leaned forward smiling, he continued, "We can't hide from them, they know everything about us. It's time we knew more about them. There's one more thing, when I had Cassidy by the throat he told me that his mother, Grace Kingsley, was my mother too. I wish I could believe he was lying but I sensed he was telling the truth."

"Amanda and I found a document called 'Origins' on Nate's computer. It said the same thing." Jessi said. She looked at him with a frown, "Does it bother you?"

"It does a little," Kyle admitted, "I think it would bother Nicole more. Do you think Cassidy and Nate are working together?"

"I don't think so; I read many of the files as they were being transferred," her brow furrowed. "It looked more like a collection of documents he had found, not information being exchanged. Amanda knocked him out, so I couldn't question him."

" _Amanda_ , knocked him out!" Kyle was surprised.

"Yes I was holding him, I was going to question him, but she hit him." Jessi shrugged, "So we gathered the files and left." She smiled, "She had to hit him twice."

"I was unhappy that you sent Amanda into danger." Kyle admitted, "I didn't imagine that she would be knocking people out."

They heard the door and Stephen's voice "Kyle, are you here?"

Kyle released her hands and stood up, "We're back here." The Tragers came though the house and stood staring at the damage to the door.

Nicole hugged Kyle, "I'm just glad you are all right." she held Kyle for a moment longer then turned and put her arms around Jessi, "and you too! We can fix doors, as long as our family is still all right, a little home repair is no problem." Jessi's eyes sparkled at the inclusion.

Stephen asked, "So did you get it done?"

_I told them of how we had tracked down all the copies of the formula and that my attempt to contaminate the existing stock had been successful. I didn't want to say anything about Amanda and Jessi's encounter with Nate until I talked to Amanda, I also didn't mention Grace Kingsley, I didn't want to trouble Nicole and I wanted to think more about it first._

Stephen pointed at the door, "How did this happen?"

Kyle answered, "By the time I finished, Cassidy figured out what was happening and came here after first getting you all out of the way. He figured that I would remember the formula and tried to force me to give it to him. I don't think he realized how strong I am..." he smiled at Jessi, "How strong _we_ , are." She smiled.

Nicole's spirits dropped, "So is he still a threat to our family, Kyle?"

"I don't think he is going to do anything more, at least not for a while," Kyle assured her. "I've called Foss and told him what happened. I asked him to keep an eye on the house to be sure." He told Stephen, "I'll help fix the door tomorrow, I promise." He gave Nicole his engaging smile, "I am hoping for pancakes in the morning."

Nicole brightened at the thought of a return to a normal domestic pattern, "I think that can be arranged."

Jessie volunteered, "I'll help."

Nicole gave her a warm smile, "That will be great -- it's beginning to take quite a few pancakes to feed this family."

_Eventually the excitement settled down and the Trager household was able to get to bed. As I lay in my tub, I focused my hearing and checked on Amanda, her heart was beating evenly as she slept. I listened to Josh, Lori, Nicole and Stephen. They seemed resting well. Finally, I focused on Jessi; her heart rate was a bit higher -- still trying to get to sleep. I had an idea and focused my thoughts upon Jessi, thinking "Good Night, Jessi." I heard an increase in her heart beat and felt a feeling of warmth in return. I fell asleep listening to the symphony of hearts that I held so dear._


	5. Morning at the Tragers

Morning found the Tragers around the breakfast table. Jessi was making pancakes while Nicole scrambled the eggs.

Josh eyed the growing pile of golden cakes and raised his eyebrows, "The girl can cook!"

Jessi commented, "It's simple, time and temperature, Cook at 190 Celsius for the calculated time"

Kyle mused, "But doesn't pouring in the batter change the temperature of the pan?"

Jessi answered, "Of course, you simply have to determine the equation of temperature rise based on the added heat and radiated loss, and then calculate the integral."

Lori rolled her eyes.

Stephen smiled, "I just look for the bubbles."

Jesse twisted the corner of her mouth, "That's more difficult and less precise, it requires using the current barometric pressure and calculating the batter viscosity for each individual cake utilizing the speed of spread, you also need to select a statistically significant number of bubbles and average their diameter."

Stephen continued, "But I usually overcook them, you're doing just fine."

Jessie gave him a smile and took a perfect pancake off of the griddle, adding it to the pile. She held her hand a foot above the grill for a moment, then poured in more batter.

_Food and family, the traditional comfort for the soul, nourished me as I faced the future, finally telling Amanda the whole story about me and interacting with Latnok in a new way. It comforted and strengthened me to see Nicole so happy with her family at the table, Jessie basking in the compliments over her pancakes and everyone eating. Even Josh seemed temporarily cheered from his depression over Andy's departure._

Lori finished wiping up syrup with the last of her pancake and announced "I'm going down to the Rack, Mark called me and said he wanted to meet and talk about something." everyone looked at her, "Not _that_ kind of talk about something, he said he wanted my advice."

Josh, finished his juice and said, "I can give you a ride. I signed up for an extra shift today."

Stephen remarked, "I would have thought you'd be involved in major massacres on G-Force."

Josh shook his head sadly, "I'd just be missing Andy, and she's still traveling. Once she gets to Cleveland and has internet access, we have a date to play, but until then I want to save up money. There's a plane fare in my future."

Nicole cautioned, "Not too near a future, Josh."

As they left, Josh tossed back, "I'm just planning ahead."

Stephen looked at Nicole, "Josh is planning ahead? Are you sure that's really Josh?"

Nicole answered "Love is a powerful motivator. Andy has been very good for Josh; I hope he can maintain the improvements in her absence."

Kyle got up, saying, "I owe Amanda some explanations. With all that's going on, I really think it's time to tell her the whole story. She's been wondering for so long and I think she needs to know. I promised her we would talk today."

Nicole asked, "Are you sure of this?"

"I should have done it long ago."

Nicole nodded, "That's probably true. Good luck, be patient with her, it's a lot to accept. It still makes _my_ head spin. Be prepared for her to take some time to absorb it."

Kyle smiled a rueful smile, "I will, I promise." He left for the short trip next door.

Jessie asked, "I have a project that Kyle asked me to work on. May I have some of the screen and other pieces from the broken door? I need to build a Faraday cage."

Stephen raised an eyebrow at Nicole and answered, "Sure, take anything you need. I have to go too. I need to arrange for a replacement door. Kyle said he would help me put it in."

Jessi collected some screen and metal parts and headed for her room.

Nicole sat for a while at the table, then took a deep breath and followed Jessi to her room.

When Nicole entered, Jessi was forming the screen and metal into a box. Nicole said, "What is a ... Faraday ... cage for?"

Jessi held up the electronic device. "Cassidy used this to attack Kyle last night. It gave him an electric shock from across the room that almost disabled him. Kyle said it seemed to be attracted to Adam's Latnok ring." She continued with obvious pride, "He wants me to analyze how it works and see if I can find a way to block its affects. Until then, he has to stop wearing his ring." She pointed at the screen, "I'm building a Faraday cage to contain the experiment and keep the charge bleed off from jumping to the house circuitry and blowing out the lights."

"Blowing out the lights - that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about," Nicole said. "I have my guesses about what happened to the dining room lamp yesterday."

Jessie looked guarded.

Nicole continued, "I've wanted to have a talk with you since you overheard me talking to Kyle the other day." She smiled ruefully, "I have to wait until one of you is out of the house if I want to have a private conversation with the other!" She paused, "How far can you really hear, is Kyle out of hearing range?"

Jessi cocked her head and concentrated, listening. "He and Amanda are just walking away from her house talking. He could probably still hear if he tried, but I doubt he's listening to us. He's with _Amanda_."

"And you wish he was with you," Nicole observed.

"Yes, he's everything to me," Jessi said. "He's the only one who can make me happy, the only one who can make me safe. He's the only one in the world like me. Everyone thinks it's wrong for me to want to be with him, that I am not good enough for him."

"That's not true, Jessie," Nicole assured her, "I think we are all surprised and confused at the development. Kyle has been focused on Amanda since he first got here. When he couldn't even communicate yet, he was drawing pictures of Amanda. As we became aware of how much the two of you shared, we began to think of you as brother and sister."

"We're not related, we have different progenitors," Jessi objected. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"You have to understand, Jessie, people react to how they perceive a situation, not necessarily the facts," Nicole explained. "As you've begun fitting into this family, I have been thinking of you like a daughter." Jessie smiled a bit at this, "and, of course, I think of Kyle as a son. I know you are not, but that's how I feel. It bothered me when I saw Kyle kiss you. I wasn't prepared, and hadn't expected it. I expect the same is true, to a degree, with Josh and Lori."

"So if it's just expectations, why did you say that it is inappropriate for Kyle to be with me?" Jessi asked.

"There's more to it than being brother and sister; the dynamics of family life have a different type of intimacy than romantic love. Mixing the two could be disruptive to both." Nicole opened her hands, "We are just trying to build a family together, I'm not sure we can handle that disruption."

Jessie frowned, "So you are saying that I can either be a part of this family or I can be with Kyle but I can't be both. You want me to choose?"

"No, Jessie, this is your home. I do not want you to leave," Nicole insisted. "I would ask you, please, to restrain yourself. Take it slowly and let whatever relationship is going to build between you and Kyle take its time. It's possible that it will be a brother, sister relationship. They can be incredibly strong. It's possible it will be a romantic one. I think that until the last few days Kyle instinctively dealt with you as a sister. Now he's having romantic feelings, but he's confused. He needs time to sort out his own thoughts."

"But he kissed me. I thought he wanted to be with me," Jessi protested. "I want him to be with me."

Nicole nodded sympathetically, "I know that you feel that way now. But your feelings may change with time. You have so little experience with living. It's important you learn to live with people, be a part of a family. Part of your attraction to Kyle is because you have so little connection with anyone else. That is not a good basis for building a relationship with another person, even one you can communicate with telepathically." Nicole grinned.

"I don't seem to be able to build connections to anyone except Kyle, and you I guess, but you were my therapist."

Nicole said, "You and Kyle are amazing. Your intelligence is off the scale, you have abilities that are almost impossible to comprehend. What you both need most, though, is experience being _people_ , dealing with your emotions, understanding who you are and what you want. In that, you are like most teenagers but with even less experience. We've welcomed you both into our family, this is more than a place to stay, it is people who will care for you and be there for you."

Jessi frowned, "I think Lori and Josh don't want me here. They only put up with me because you make them."

"They are still getting used to you, having you join us has disrupted our family -- the same way having Kyle join us did," Nicole assured her. "And they had the same reactions. But there's another thing, people living in the same house often annoy each other, sibling arguments are legendary. This is a normal part of family life." She smiled, "Josh and Lori often don't get along. But they would do anything to help and defend each other against outsiders."

"So if I were in trouble, Lori would try to help me?" Jessi was skeptical.

"Yes, and I suspect you would do the same for her or Josh, if the situation came up."

"Of course, Kyle would want me to," Jessi said with confidence.

"Well, I can appreciate how you feel about Kyle," Nicole said, "but I would hope that as you live as a part of this family you will eventually do so because they are part of _your_ family."

Jessi mused, "It was nice to make breakfast with the family this morning, it made me feel less alone."

Nicole smiled, "That's one of the primary purposes of families, so we are not alone. Look Jessi, I know you have strong feelings for Kyle, I can't realistically tell you that you can never pursue them, but I think it would be better for everyone if you would ease off for now. Give Kyle and yourself time to grow emotionally."

"I'll try, Nicole," Jessi reluctantly agreed.

"And, Jessie, I said I would always be here for you. That includes when you make choices I don't agree with. I never want you to feel that you cannot talk with me about something." Nicole leaned forward to emphasize, "This _is_ your home. This is _your_ family."

Nicole hugged Jessi then kissed her on the cheek as she let her go. Jessie was a bit surprised but pleased. Nicole commented, "And now I better let you get back to building that Friday cage."

"Faraday, cage." Jessie replied automatically, then grinned realizing Nicole was joking.


	6. Mark and Lori at the Rack

Mark and Lori were sitting at a table in the Rack, drinking smoothies. Mark looked around then began, "Lori, I did something last night that's really bothering me. I may be in big trouble."

"You didn't kiss Hillary?" Mark blinked and sat back, puzzled, "Why would I kiss Hillary?"

Lori waved her hand, "Sorry, just remembering something that happened between Declan and me. Old business, what _did_ you do?"

"I was working on a secret project for Latnok," Mark began, then noting the look on Lori's face, waved a hand saying, "It was nothing sinister, at least that's what I thought, but they don't want it made public until the testing is done."

"Latnok seems to have a lot of secrets," Lori commented.

"Yes, they do, maybe too many. Anyway, last night I was working in this facility -- I probably shouldn't get into too many details -- when Kyle suddenly appeared. He seemed to drop from the ceiling -- which was 20 or 30 feet high." Mark paused for a moment at the memory. "He had a syringe full of bacteria that he said would destroy the experiment. He said that Cassidy had misled me about its true nature and that he needed to stop it. He asked me to trust him."

"That's all he said, Trust me?" Lori smiled affectionately, "Typical Kyle."

"Yes, and you know - I did. Something about Kyle made me believe that he would do the right thing," Mark shook his head in puzzlement. "So I went outside and had the guards help me move some equipment to give him time to finish. When I came back in, he was gone. I assume we are going to find out today that the experiment is ruined." He took a breath, "This morning, I woke up with the terrible feeling that I have ruined my career and don't have a clue why. I needed to talk to someone, and you're the only one I could possibly talk to about this, knowing Kyle and knowing about Latnok."

Lori put her hand over his and leaned forward earnestly, "You did the right thing. Trusting Kyle is the right thing to do. And," she continued, "I actually do know something about your 'experiment'. I guess the Tragers have secrets too. Kyle was right to stop it."

"So, what do you know, what's really going on?" Mark was clearly still concerned.

"I don't think Kyle would want me to talk about it. You should probably talk to him, but relax, you did the right thing." Lori assured him.

"Just trust Kyle?" Mark frowned.

"Just trust Kyle," Lori repeated.

He took a deep breath, "I suspect there will be trouble at Latnok this morning. By now they will probably have discovered the sabotage." Mark looked uncertain, "I still have to figure out what to do."

"I find that ignorance is a good strategy. It usually works for me." Lori shrugged. "You didn't see or hear anything."

"I suppose." Mark ventured, "But that puts me deeper into the deception. I guess I'm already committed, though."

"Trust Kyle," Lori repeated reassuringly.

"Yes ..." Reluctantly, he straightened his back, "Well I better get going, I don't want to be conspicuously absent today. And I guess I better talk to Kyle." He leaned over and kissed her, "Thank you, I feel better."

He left, leaving Lori sipping her smoothie thoughtfully

Josh, who had been getting things in the stockroom came out and saw his next customer, a short, brown-haired girl. "Katie, what brings you to my fine establishment?"

"A craving for a strawberry smoothie," She answered, "And you."

Josh's open look started to close down, "Katie..."

"Not a craving for you, silly," Katie laughed, "I just wanted to talk to you to apologize for coming on too strong the other night. I think we were living in separate dimensions."

Josh laughed, 'Let me get your smoothie, and we can chat."

While he mixed the strawberry smoothie, Katie looked around and, spotting Lori at a nearby table, exchanged waves with her.

Josh put the smoothie down, "Here you are, little lady, finest strawberry smoothie west of the Rockies." He frowned, "Separate dimensions?"

"I've talked to Andy, she told me how she pretended to be you and used all the things she knew about you. I started to feel really close to you, but it was really Andy, does that make me a lesbian, no I thought it was a boy, so that doesn't count." She paused to take a breath, "Anyway, I thought we were close friends, you thought we had just met - separate dimensions."

"Separate dimensions - it wasn't your fault," Josh agreed, "It was Andy's misguided attempt to find a replacement girlfriend for me. I don't need a replacement girlfriend. I still have Andy - even though she's in Cleveland. Or she will be in a couple of days."

Katie nodded her head in agreement, "I totally understand, but that doesn't mean we can't still be friends. I mean, I got to know you really well while 'we' were chatting on line and I think you'd make a really good friend. Then at the party, we seemed to be hitting it off so well."

Josh agreed cautiously, "yes, but as I said, I have a girlfriend."

"Of course, but people can have lots of friends. Maybe we can play some G-Force online." Katie suggested. "Hey when Andy gets to Cleveland we can all play together!"

Josh brightened, "Sure we could all team up, wrecking havoc on the G-Force world!"

Katie laughed, "That's the spirit." She held out her hand, "Friends?"

Josh shook it, "Friends"

Katie bounced out of the Rack with a little backward wave as Josh watched.

At her nearby table, Lori watched her go and muttered, "First step, Stabilize the situation."


	7. Kyle tells Amanda

Kyle and Amanda left her house and walked hand in hand toward the nearby park.

"You promised you were finally going to tell me your secrets," Amanda reminded him, skeptical that he might back out.

He smiled, "I promised."

"I saw a lot of drawings in Nate's papers, so you really grew up in one of those tanks?" Amanda asked, "You didn't have a normal mother?"

Kyle agreed, "And no father."

Amanda frowned, "Then who raised you? The Petersens?"

Kyle shook his head, "It's going to sound strange..."

Amanda interrupted, smiling, "What's new with that?"

He smiled and continued, "But I guess I was raised by Nicole ... and the rest of the Tragers"

"But Kyle, you were a teenager when you came here last year!" Amanda was stunned.

"I was in that pod until I was sixteen, unconscious all that time. That long development is what made my brain develop far more than normal people. It's why I have the ability to do the things I can do." Kyle smiled, "When I first saw you, playing the piano, it was only the second day after I was 'born'. I couldn't even speak yet. I was just learning. Your music was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard."

"I thought you were just terribly shy, I thought it was cute." Amanda remembered with a laugh, "but you learned really fast!"

"Yes, I learn very fast," Kyle agreed. "The swimming lesson you gave me really was my only lesson."

"And you were swimming better than I can at the end of it." Amanda said wonderingly.

_I told her about Zzyzx, and about Foss and how he had protected me. I told her how they had found out about me and that it had become unsafe, how the Petersens pretended to be my parents to provide an excuse to move me to a safer place without making the Tragers suspicious. I told her about Adam Baylin and how he had created Latnok and about him being shot. I told her about Foss fire bombing Zzyzx to keep them from continuing to come after me and about coming home to live with the Tragers under the cover story of the Petersens having died._

"You've been in Zzyzx," Kyle told her. "The day we all went into the woods and explored that burned underground facility. That was Zzyzx."

"That's where your tank was? Where you spent your first 16 years?" Amanda's brow creased, "And did Jessi come from the same place?"

Kyle nodded, "Jesse came from there, we didn't know about her at the time. She survived the bombing and woke up. I wish we had known about her and been able to rescue her. Her life would have started a lot easier."

_I told her about Madacorp, about how they captured 781228 and named her Jessi, giving her false memories to try to extract data from me. I told her about Sarah and how we had followed the trail from Adam and Sarah's picture to find Adam's cabin, how the song I had her play was the security code. I told how Jessi had downloaded the information and jumped off the cliff -- only to show up at Madacorp alive and how I had gotten it back and damaged their network and ended Ballantine's efforts._

Amanda sat stunned, "All this has been going on next door? I thought the problems over me coming back from the conservatory were a big deal. You were bringing down international organizations!" She shook her head wonderingly, "I knew there were secrets, things you didn't tell me about, but nothing like this! So how does Latnok fit in? Nate is part of Latnok. He has a tattoo."

Kyle said, "The student group where the party was is also part of Latnok. Most of them don't know much about it. The main group is somewhere else."

"You said that Adam Baylin founded Latnok. Is it a good organization then?" Amanda frowned, "Why did Nate try to keep me in his room when I found the papers?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure how Nate fits in," Kyle admitted. "I know that some parts of Latnok are not to be trusted. Cassidy is a very bad person. Jessie and I found out that Cassidy killed her mother, Sarah."

"He killed Jessie's mother?" Amanda was aghast, "Did you tell the police?"

Kyle answered, "There would be no evidence that the police would recognize, but Jessie and I are sure. He was trying to recreate the experiment that made Jessi and me. Sarah tried to stop him and he killed her."

Amanda put her hand on his arm, "Kyle, when did this all happen?"

"It happened the night of the prom when Jessi and I were searching for you. Cassidy and some of Latnok's people had kidnapped you and we were trying to find you," Kyle explained.

"Kidnapped me!" Amanda exclaimed, "What do you mean kidnapped me? The night of the prom? I didn't pass out from the punch?"

Kyle explained, "They kidnapped both of us. I got away and then Jessi and I tracked you down and rescued you. You were unconscious the whole time."

"And you didn't tell me?" Amanda sat back unbelieving.

Kyle said earnestly, "But you woke up at the end of the night and didn't remember. I wanted you to have a perfect prom night, filled with good memories. I didn't want to spoil them. I didn't want to make you unhappy."

"But someone drugged me and kidnapped me on my prom night and you didn't tell me? Kyle, I deserved to know. Happy prom memories or not, I had a right to know." Amanda was becoming agitated.

Kyle reassured her, "No, they didn't use drugs; they injected a small electronic device into your brain to harmlessly block the memories so you wouldn't be affected. No drugs."

"I have an electronic device in my brain!" Amanda was shaking now. Kyle tried to take hold of her hand and she brushed his hand away, terrified.

"No, it's gone," Kyle assured her. "It was supposed to dissolve by itself but it took longer than they expected. It was what was interfering with your memory and causing you to have trouble with your piano piece. I dissolved it with an electric charge right before your piano exhibition. I transferred the charge when I kissed you."

"You used an electric charge to dissolve a device implanted in my brain!?" Amanda's eyes were wide with horror. "How did you know you wouldn't kill me, or leave me brain damaged?" Amanda's tone had become incredulous as the revelations piled on top of each other.

"No, it was safe," Kyle said reassuringly, "I tested the technique on Jessi first."

"You tested..." Amanda stopped and sat shaking, tears running down her cheeks.

Kyle tried to touch her and she drew away. He had tears running down his face too, "Amanda, all I ever wanted to do was protect you. I didn't want you to be hurt, I didn't want you to be frightened. I just wanted you to be happy. I love you, Amanda." Kyle sat helplessly watching her cry.

Amanda sat crying for a while, then gathered herself and looked up at Kyle, "Kyle, I know you meant well, but meaning well is not enough. I trusted you. I wanted to know your secrets, but was patient because they were _your_ secrets. But the things that happened to me are things that I deserved to know. I deserve to know I've been unconscious and I certainly deserve to know when you are planning electric brain surgery on me! I know you wanted me to feel safe, but that's all it was, _feeling_ safe!" Her eyes were wide, "I've been in terrible danger and you didn't tell me!

"I tried to protect you." Kyle said.

"But you didn't tell me! How can I walk down the street holding hands with you without wondering if you're rearranging my brain! Kyle!" Amanda was shaking again. She got up. Kyle got up as well. Amanda said, "I can't believe you kept all of this from me, I knew you had secrets, but I thought I knew what kind of person you were. Now, I don't think I know you at all."

She started back toward home. Kyle started to follow and she said, "Don't follow me. I can't talk to you now. I need to think about all of this." And she ran quickly away toward her house, crying.

Kyle sat back down and put his head in his hands.

_Secrets. I had been keeping secrets since I encountered Foss in the woods outside of Zzyzx. He told me I needed to keep secrets about myself to protect Amanda and the Tragers. And now secrets may have cost me Amanda. Secrets piled on top of secrets. It had been impossible to tell Amanda about the abduction without explaining everything that came before it or about the implant without explaining the abduction. They all piled up. But she was right, it did not make her more safe, it made her less safe. The secrets may have piled up so high they crushed Amanda's trust for me. Was there anything I could ever do to regain it?_


	8. Declan and Jackie at the Rack

The Rack was relatively quiet in the late morning. Declan and Jackie sat at a table together drinking smoothies.

"I'm glad we could get together," Jackie said. "I really needed to get away from the lab for a while, the place is a madhouse."

"What's going on?" Declan asked.

"Something big, and secret, I think your friend Kyle is involved," Jackie explained. "All I know is that Cassidy is going around with a pretty scary look on his face. There have been serious looking strangers in and out of his office all morning -- it looks like his bosses are in town and they aren't happy."

"So why do you think Kyle is involved?" Declan asked.

"I've heard his name mentioned a few times as people walked by." she fixed him with a gaze, "Do _you_ know anything about it?"

Declan smiled and held his hand flat, wiggling it side to side, a twinkle in his eye, "Well, maybe just a little bit."

"So what's going on?" She leaned forward.

"I think it would be better if you didn't know." Declan advised confidently, "Keeping your head down and out of the line of fire is a great idea."

Jackie gave him a calculating look, "So is this coming from the 80% or the 20%?"

Declan laughed, "Definitely the 80% 'good guy' side."

Jackie laughed and said, "Ok, I'll take your word for it, at least for now. It better be the 80%!" She leaned over and gave him a kiss then looked down at her empty glass. "I better get going, I need to get back."

"Me too. I'll walk you out." Declan said.

Declan and Jackie walked out arm-in-arm and, when they reached the street, kissed and then separated, Jackie to the left, Declan to the right, heading back to his SUV. He had gone about twenty feet when a car pulled up and the window rolled down. "Declan", the driver called.

Declan looked over and saw Foss, leaning toward him, "Foss, what are you doing here?"

Foss said abruptly, "Get in."

Declan opened the door and got in, Foss pulled into the street and started driving. He explained, "I don't like to have serious discussions in fixed locations."

Declan looked at him curiously, "So, is this a serious discussion?"

"Would I be picking you up on the street otherwise?" Foss asked rhetorically, "Have you been involved in Kyle's latest adventures with Latnok?"

Declan shrugged, "Some, he used me as a lookout, but I don't really know much about his plan."

Foss snorted, "Who ever does? Look, Kyle is playing some dangerous games with Latnok. He has asked me to provide some security for his family, and Amanda. I really can't do that properly as a solo operation. I'm getting stretched too thin and coverage gaps are dangerous."

"And you want my help?" Declan was puzzled, "I thought you didn't want to work with amateurs!"

"Yes, but I don't have a lot of choices. I don't really want to try to bring someone else into this circus and you are aware of all the details. I've seen you in action and you keep your nerve. Plus, you've always been loyal to Kyle and that's probably most important of all. Do you want to help?"

Declan shrugged, "Of course, I'm always available for backing Kyle up. It's what I do. What do you need me to do?"

Foss asked, "Can you come to the warehouse this evening at eight? You know where it is." Declan nodded, "Good." Foss continued in a lecture tone "Always park at least two blocks from the facility, change your spot every time. When you get out, start by walking in a different direction until you are sure no one is following."

Declan was puzzled, "Do you think Latnok knows where the warehouse is?"

"Of course not." Foss said, "If I did I would move it. This is just routine operational security." He pulled to a stop. "Here's your car." They were next to it.

Declan opened the door, Foss said, "Declan ...," and held out his hand, Declan took it, "welcome to the circus."

Declan closed the door and watched Foss drive away before getting in his SUV. He muttered, "I guess every circus needs a clown."


	9. Kyle comes home

As Kyle walked into the kitchen, Nicole took one look at his face and crossed over to gather him into her arms, "Kyle, what's wrong?"

Kyle buried his face in her shoulder and held her tight for a moment before managing to say, "Nicole, Amanda is really angry with me, I think I've made a terrible mistake and I don't know how I'm going to fix it."

Nicole patted him on the back reassuringly, "Kyle, Amanda really loves you. It may just take her time to get used to whole story. That's what this is about, isn't it."

Kyle kept his face in her shoulder and said, "Yes, she went away crying."

Nicole stroked the back of his head, "Kyle, people who love each other often have problems and they get over them, sit down and we'll talk about this. Let's see if I can help."

Kyle slowly disentangled himself and sat at the table. Nicole poured him a glass of orange juice and set it in front of him. A little blood sugar boost would probably help. She sat next to him and said, "So, what went wrong? What made her angry?"

Kyle said, "I told her the whole story from the beginning, it took quite a while. She was amazed, but I think she was pleased to finally know all that has been going on. It was far more than she had imagined.

Nicole smiled, "It's far more than I can imagine, and I lived through most of it. I can understand her being overwhelmed."

"But she wasn't overwhelmed, mostly amazed. The problem came when we got to the prom. She was upset that I hadn't told her about the kidnapping."

Nicole nodded thoughtfully, "I understood at the time why you didn't tell her, it would have been very hard to explain without explaining everything else. But it is not the kind of thing that a young girl is going to be happy finding out about months later. I can see that she would be very upset about it."

"It was a mistake not to tell her," Kyle said. "Foss said it would make her safer, but I don't think it did."

Nicole nodded, "Stephen and I accept why you told us a cover story, Kyle, but I have to tell you I would have been happier knowing the truth all along."

"I'm sorry, Nicole," Kyle said. "I hated deceiving you, but they told me I had to."

"We understand, and it's ok," Nicole patted his arm reassuringly. "But I think it was a bad idea."

Kyle looked distraught, "But, Nicole, the worst part was when I told her about using an electric charge to remove Latnok's device from her brain."

Nicole sat back, "Using an electric charge to remove Latnok's device from her brain!" Her voice rose in shock, "Kyle you never told me about that. What device? What did you do?"

Jessie appeared in the doorway, "Nicole, it wasn't all his fault it was my fault too."

Nicole looked up and spoke sternly, "Jessi! I'm talking to Kyle."

Jessi slumped, "I'm going back to my room." As she slunk away Nicole called to her, "At least pretend you aren't listening. It's part of living in a family."

She sighed, turned back to Kyle and said, seriously, "Ok, Kyle, explain this to me."

Kyle explained, "When Latnok kidnapped her, they didn't use drugs to knock her out; they injected a small electronic device in her brain to block her memories so that she wouldn't have any ill effects." He opened his hands, "It was supposed to dissolve quickly, but it took a while and was interfering with her memory of her piano piece. She kept getting stuck and wasn't going to do well at her recital. Jessi and I figured out we could use an electric charge to dissolve it and I applied it by kissing her."

Nicole sat looking at him; eyebrows raised, and then said carefully, "Kyle, my first reaction is shock and horror that you would take it upon yourself to do such a thing." Kyle started to speak and she held up her hand, "But I've seen you casually do things that the rest of us would think impossible. I can understand that it might have seemed simple to you, but nothing in my experience prepares me for things like this. Are you really sure it was safe?"

"Yes, I would never do anything to hurt Amanda. Jessi and I practiced to calibrate the charge and make sure it was safe." Kyle continued ruefully, "Amanda came in and saw us practicing, she was pretty upset."

"I bet she was," Nicole nodded. "And she would probably have been even more upset to find out that you weren't simply kissing Jessi, you were practicing to shock her brain!"

"I told her that there was an explanation, but she didn't want to hear it."

Nicole reached over and put her hand over Kyle's. She sat for a while and finally said, "Your secrets made you exotic and exciting, being your girlfriend made her part of an adventure, it was mysterious and fun, even if frustrating. On the other hand the things that happened to her were not. They were terrible and frightening." Nicole took a breath and continued, "She is a young woman who has just found out that her world has been a lot more dangerous than she thought; that things have happened to her she didn't know about. I suspect she's quite scared. I know I've been scared many times."

"She was very frightened," Kyle agreed. "I tried to reassure her but she wouldn't listen to me."

"At the moment, she associates these things with you," Nicole said. "And that's not really wrong, if she wasn't your girlfriend, none of those things would have happened to her. I think that after she thinks about it for a while, she will realize that you have been going to enormous efforts to protect her, and that you wanted the best for her."

"What should I say to her? How can I explain?"

Nicole patted his hand, "You can't. Nothing is the best thing to say, at least for a while. She's absorbed a shock and it will take time before she's ready to talk to you. She has to deal with her emotional reaction before she will be ready to think about the rest of it."

"It's hard. I hate her feeling this way," Kyle said glumly. "I want her to be happy."

"I know, but it simply takes time." They sat for a moment and Nicole took a breath, "You know, I'm not happy about you and Jessi taking upon yourselves the administration of electricity to clear up the block. That was wrong. I know you felt it was safe, and, I'm amazed I'm even saying this, it obviously was. Nevertheless, it was wrong to do it without her awareness and permission."

"But I couldn't explain it without telling her everything," Kyle protested, "and she wouldn't talk to me after seeing me practice with Jessi!"

Nicole said, "You could have talked to me. You and Jessi may have incredibly advanced intellects, but you are still teenagers emotionally. I could have helped you find a way to talk to her. It was very unethical to do that without her permission."

"I understand, Nicole. Next time we'll talk to you."

"Oh, I really hope there isn't a next time! But I understand what you mean." Nicole sat with him for a while until he said "Amanda's playing her piano, I think I'll go to my room and listen."

Nicole assured him, "That's a good sign. Music is very important to Amanda and connects with emotions. Playing music will help her work through the emotional load she just got."

After Kyle left, she sat, looking at her hands. She looked up and noticed Jessi standing hesitantly in the doorway. She waved her to a seat. "So did you hear?"

"You said to pretend not to hear." Jessi said, puzzled.

"What I meant was that sometimes in a family when people are having arguments, or personal things are being talked about and you are not in the conversation, it is best to pretend you didn't hear them," Nicole explained. "This is true of those of us with normal hearing too. Sometimes we hear things that it would be better not to comment on. This is one of those _family_ skills I was talking about."

"I'm sorry I interrupted you," Jessi explained. "I just wanted to help Kyle."

"And, I'm sorry I shouted at you, I wanted to help Kyle, too. Just in a different way. The two of you acted inappropriately." She looked stern, "But since you heard me talk to Kyle, I don't have to say it again, right?"

"No, Nicole." Jessi was contrite.

Nicole looked speculatively at Jessi, "I'd like to give you a little woman to woman advice."

"Woman to woman advice?" Jessi clearly felt adrift.

"Lori isn't the only one who can give advice on romantic issues," Nicole smiled. "I was a teenager once too -- although I couldn't leap tall buildings, bend steel in my bare hands or use X-ray vision!"

"We don't have X-ray vision," Jessi corrected. "We can only see into the ultraviolet on the high end of the spectrum."

Nicole stared at her for a moment, then gathered her thoughts, "Kyle is going to be very vulnerable at the moment with Amanda angry with him. You are going to be tempted to try to fill the space. This would be a bad idea."

Jessi said, defensively "I know you don't want us ..."

Nicole interrupted, holding up a hand, "That's not what I am saying. Kyle is feeling his separation from Amanda very deeply. He might turn to you in that emotional state, but when Amanda is ready to deal with him again, he would be likely to push you away again. I am just saying it is important to be supportive of Kyle without putting pressure on him. In the long run, that's your best strategy."

"My best strategy...," She looked down for a moment then smiled at Nicole.


	10. Kyle's Room

When Jessi entered his room, Kyle was sitting, looking at the picture of Amanda playing the piano. She cocked her head and said, "Rachmaninoff again. She's playing a lot of that lately."

Kyle sighed, "Nicole says that she processes emotions through her music."

"Well, she's doing a lot of processing." Her lip curled up, and then she set a blue Latnok ring on the desk in front of Kyle. "Here's Adam's Latnok ring, I've figured out how to block the charge device." She was obviously pleased to have succeeded.

He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. He looked at her, "So what did you find out?"

"There is a circuit embedded in the ring band that generates a feedback loop with the device," she told him. "Like lightning, the charges actually go in both directions."

He examined the band, "So did you remove it?"

"I thought about doing that, but I wasn't sure if it had any other purpose, so I put a coating on to interfere with the feedback. I tested it and the device doesn't work on it anymore." She offered, "We could take it completely out, if you want."

Kyle shook his head, "No, I'd rather not do anything irreversible to Adam's ring. Foss told me it was 'all I needed', so until we understand it better I would like to keep it intact. That was a great solution." Jesse beamed. "Did you do that to Sarah's ring too?" He pointed to the ring on her finger.

"Sarah's ring didn't have the circuit. The device had no effect on it. Maybe they added the circuit to the rings after she went in hiding from Latnok."

"Perhaps we can find out sometime. For now I think we shouldn't do anything to let them know we've been studying the rings and that they can't use that type of device anymore." He put the ring back on its cord and put it around his neck, then looked up at Jessi.

She put her hand on his shoulder, "Kyle..."

His phone rang and he checked it. He looked back at Jessi, "Cassidy."


	11. Cassidy's Office

Cassidy was sitting at his desk. There was a thin dark haired woman with a touch of grey sitting in front of him. He said into the phone, "Kyle. Listen, mate, you've certainly caused quite a stir here. I don't have to tell you, it's been a bit uncomfortable. I wish we could have worked something less dramatic out. I can be reasonable, you know."

He listened to Kyle and then responded, "Well, yeah. Look, you told me you wanted to meet the senior Latnok staff. They are willing to do that, actually some of them are quite looking forward to seeing you. They are getting the board together in a couple of days. But there is one of them who would like to meet with you first, our mum. She thinks it would be better if the two of you met ahead of the board meeting."

He listened frowning and objected, "Not Jessie, she just wants to talk to you. Family, you know."

He listened to the response and then looked at Grace, "He's insisting on bringing Jessi. He refuses to do anything without her. He's adamant."

Grace looked impatient, "Fine, whatever he wants. I don't think I have to worry about meeting a teen-aged girl."

Cassidy looked at her incredulously, "This isn't just a teen-aged girl. I thought she was going to eviscerate me. She could, you know."

"You acted stupidly. You've made serious mistakes and we have to straighten them out." She pointed at the phone, "Set it up."

Cassidy turned back to the phone, "Ok, Kyle, that's fine with her. Can you come over this afternoon?"

He listened nodding, "We'll see you then. Grace is looking forward to meeting you." He hung up, and turned to Grace. "They're coming. You know, he rejects the idea that you're his mother, he insists that Nicole is his mother."

"I have no intention of slobbering over him like a long lost child. I _am_ interested in meeting him, though. I want to see what we are facing first hand; it's probably just as well the girl is along."


	12. Kyle's Room after call

Kyle set the phone down and looked at Jessi, "They are expecting us this afternoon. Jessi, you will keep under control, won't you."

"Of course I will, Kyle, I didn't kill him in the Rack, did I?" Jessi assured him. "I really wanted to, you know. He is getting away with killing Sarah, that's wrong."

He stood up and put his arms around her, she pressed her head into his shoulder, "I know that dealing with him is hard for you, but I need you with me. We need to deal with Latnok as a team." He gave her a soft, reassuring, kiss on the neck.

Her eyes sparkled as she squeezed him, "A team."

He released her and stepped back, "We need to tell Nicole and Stephen about this before we go."

Jessi frowned, "I don't think Nicole is going to be very happy to hear about Grace."

Kyle looked grim, "I think I've just seen how much damage I can do keeping secrets from the ones I love."

Jessie tilted her head, "Debussy, possibly she's a little less agitated."

"I hope so," Kyle said earnestly. "I really want to talk to her." and started out the door.

Jessi watched his back, sighed, and then followed.


	13. Trager Kitchen

When Kyle and Jessi entered the kitchen, Stephen was reading the paper and drinking coffee while Nicole was drying dishes. They pulled up chairs and sat down at the table. Kyle said, "Good, you're both here." Stephen set down his paper and Nicole said, "Should I be sitting down?"

Kyle answered, "Probably." Nicole sat down apprehensively.

Stephen said, "What's this about, Kyle?"

Kyle began, "After my fight with Cassidy, I asked him to arrange a meeting between Jessi and me and the senior members of Latnok."

"Kyle!" Nicole objected, "I though this was finally over. I thought our family would be able to settle down. Why did you do that?"

"Because of something Cassidy said," Kyle replied. "He said that Jessi and I were the result of almost twenty years of work by Latnok and they were never going to just let us go be normal teenagers. They have too much invested in us." He sighed, "He's right. We can try to ignore them and live normal lives, but they will never give up on us. It would take sixteen years to make others like us, and we stopped that, we can't let them do that again."

Stephen frowned, "What good does meeting with them do?"

Kyle explained, "When I spent time with the UW Latnok group, I wanted to know what type of people they were. Most of them were nice, bright people doing good things. I liked them. The only ones I actually had trouble with were Nate and, of course, Cassidy."

Nicole asked, "What was the problem with Nate?"

Kyle answered, "He seemed hostile, as if I were invading his territory. I'm sure he's the one who damaged my first glider control board. He's very competitive."

Jessi added, "And he dated Amanda."

Kyle paused, and then continued, "Latnok has done a number of things to threaten us, but most of them have been related to Cassidy. I have no real knowledge of what the senior members are like, the ones who worked with Adam in setting up Latnok. Some of them may still share his ideals."

Jessi objected, "Sarah never trusted them, she spent years in hiding and then when they found her again, she died."

"Cassidy killed her," Kyle corrected her. "But I agree that there are probably others in Latnok that are just as dangerous. I think we would be safer knowing about them."

Stephen nodded, "I can understand that, but other than knowing who they are, what do you hope to accomplish? What can you do against them?"

Kyle shrugged, "I'm not sure, but we need to know more."

Nicole nodded reluctantly, "I guess it makes sense, but I really don't like the two of you anywhere near them. It could be dangerous."

"Jessi and I are a pretty powerful team. In the last couple of days we've begun to see what we can do working together. We can handle them." Kyle said, confidently. Jessie sat a little straighter and smiled at him. "While it's true that they aren't going to simply give up on us, it's also true that they need our cooperation. We have to convince them that they will never get it by threatening us or the ones we love."

Stephen said, "So you offer them cooperation for our safety?"

"Limited cooperation, there are things they are working on that we would be happy to help with," Kyle answered. "Maybe they will accept a glass that's half full."

Nicole cautioned, "That's a very risky path to follow, Kyle. You know they will be trying to push you into doing things that you are unhappy doing. The temptation to go along will be strong."

Kyle looked at Nicole and said, "There's one more thing I need to tell you." Nicole picked up on his attention and looked apprehensive. "When we were looking at his files we found out that Cassidy is the son of one of the Latnok senior members, Grace Kingsley. During our struggle, Cassidy told me that she was also my biological mother." The blood drained out of Nicole's face and she looked stricken.

Stephen sat up, "Could he have been lying? He isn't exactly a trustworthy person."

Jessi said, "I found documentation. It appears to be true."

Nicole stammered, "But Kyle, Brian Taylor assured us that there were no other relatives." She sat a moment, tears starting to form, "He was lying, wasn't he. That was the whole Petersen cover story, it wasn't real. I let myself believe. Oh, Kyle, I can't lose you again."

"Nicole, you are not going to lose me. This is my family, this is my home. You mean everything to me. I am Kyle Trager." Nicole put her face in her hands, sobbing. Kyle, went to her, put his arms around her and said softly into her ear, 'I love you, Mom." She clutched him tightly and the two sat tears rolling down their faces.

_I had called Nicole 'Mom' in that first day when I didn't understand the clear meaning of the word, but now I said it understanding what it really meant. Knowing who my biological mother was completed the picture and the image was clear: I belonged with my real family, the Tragers._


	14. Foss's Warehouse

Declan looked up from the monitor as Foss came in carrying some grocery bags.

Foss asked, "Anything happening?"

Declan shook his head, "Nothing, surveillance is boring. I don't know how you spend hours doing it."

Foss laughed, "You get used to it. You learn how to split your attention. And, when you are doing protective surveillance, you really want it to be boring. Exciting means that the person you are protecting is in danger."

"I can see that," Declan nodded, "I guess I like boring, too."

Foss pointed at the screen, "The good thing about a protective watch on someone like Kyle, is that if you have to rush in and get yourself killed, at least it will be for someone you like. Often you find yourself protecting someone who, frankly, you'd just as soon shoot yourself." He turned to put away his groceries, leaving Declan staring at the screen in consternation.

Declan frowned, "I'm not so sure I would be very good at the shooting. I really haven't done very much with guns."

"Shooting is what happens when you screw up doing your job. You want to avoid that," Foss said. "But I can help you learn more about it later. Thank you for covering while I took care of errands. I don't want you to miss your date. Keep your ears open for any Latnok intel."

"I like Jackie -- a lot, I'm dating her, not spying on her." Declan objected.

Foss said, "I'm not asking you to spy on her. Just keep your ears open, if you hear something helpful, remember it. You're not 'undercover', she knows you are Kyle's friend, she would expect you to be concerned with his interests. Be concerned."

"I suppose so," Declan got up from the console and started for the door. "Here's to a boring evening -- for you at least!" He grinned.

Foss laughed.


	15. Cassidy's Office meeting

Cassidy opened the door to his office. Seeing Kyle and Jessi, he stepped back and gave them lots of space. He obviously didn't want to be close to Jessi. "Come on in, sit down," He waved at a couple of seats in front of his desk. He indicated the woman sitting to the right of his desk, "This is Grace Kingsley."

_When I had first seen Adam Baylin, I had felt an immediate connection, as if our spirits were in sync. I was immediately comfortable with him. When I saw Grace Kingsley, I felt no similar connection. She looked a little like Sarah, but much more formal and business like. Her eyes were clear and bright, though, she was obviously quite intelligent._

Grace said, "Hello Kyle, Jessi. I've been looking forward to meeting you both. I wish it could have been under different circumstances."

Kyle answered, "I do, too." He and Jessi sat the indicated chairs. Cassidy closed the door, and then went behind his desk and sat down. Jessi's eyes never left him. They sat in tense silence for a moment, staring at each other.

Grace looked at Jessi, then at Cassidy and said, "This is not going to work this way. Michael, I think you better leave us alone and let us talk."

Cassidy reluctantly took his eyes from Jessi and looked at his mother, "Are you sure you will be safe?"

Grace shrugged and looked at Jessi, "Will I be safe? Do you plan on hurting me?"

"Did you have anything to do with my Mother's death?" Jessi was direct.

"No. I'm very sorry it happened. She didn't like Latnok, but Sarah and I were friends once long ago. I'm sorry she's gone," Grace answered frankly.

"Then I have no reason to hurt you," Jessie answered, flatly.

Grace turned to Cassidy and gave him a thin smile, "See, we'll be fine. Give us some space."

Cassidy glanced over the group, "Ok, I don't want to spoil the party." He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Grace and Kyle looked at each other speculatively. Jessi broke the silence with the question, "Are you Kyle's mother?"

Grace smiled at her, "That's not a simple question. I am certainly genetically his mother, but this is the first time we've ever met. It would be presumptuous of me to try to assume that role."

Kyle said, "Nicole is my mother, she's taken care of me, given me a home and a family. I am Kyle Trager."

"Of course you are," Grace assured him. "I have no intention of interfering with your family, Kyle. Nicole and the Tragers have provided a home and the support you need. And I'm glad they've opened their home to Jessi as well, she's inherited some of Sarah's undisciplined nature and it's important that she have a stable home as well."

Jessi bristled, "My mother was brilliant. She could do anything she tried."

"Sarah _was_ amazing. No one could compete with her that was certainly true -- except perhaps Adam. But Sarah walked that fine line between genius and insanity and I think from time to time slipped over the edge."

"My mother was not crazy," Jessi insisted.

"Of course not," Grace agreed. "But very bright people often have a bit of instability. Sarah was the brightest woman I ever met -- before today. She had, perhaps more than her share. I don't mean to criticize your mother, Jessi, but she was my friend back in the old days and I'm just giving you my perspective. I haven't seen her in years."

Kyle asked, "So why did you want to meet with us?"

"You thought I was going to try to drag you off to my woodland lair?" Grace laughed. "Adam had his share of idiosyncrasies as well! I do admit that I am intrigued at what you've become. You are a particularly amazing person and I have some quite normal pride in being part of that! But that's not the main reason."

"What is?" Kyle frowned.

"To be honest, we have a pretty good idea what the two of you are capable of at this stage. Since we don't want the board room to turn into some vision of Armageddon, some of the board members want me to ask your reasons for wanting to meet and determine if it will be safe and productive." Grace chuckled. "I think they are afraid of you!"

"We don't want trouble," Kyle assured her. "Our biggest desire is to live as normal a life as possible. I think that, if we could live the rest of our lives without having anything to do with Latnok, we would. But I don't think Latnok would be willing to forget we exist."

"No, we couldn't," Grace agreed. "For some of us, you are the biggest result of our life's work. We think you are just beginning to touch your potential and we need to see what that means. How could we turn our back on that?"

"I don't want a group of people I've never met interfering with my life and threatening my family," Kyle objected. "I want to see them face to face. I hope we can arrange some type of cooperation. Threatening me and the ones I love is not the way to get it."

Grace nodded, "That was stupid, and I apologize. By doing that, we become the problem you are trying to solve. And you are both very good at solving problems. I'm sure there are many worthwhile problems we can solve together."

Kyle agreed, "In working with the Latnok people at UW, I saw places where we could make a difference, where we could help people. And then it turned to threats and worse."

"So the simple answer, is that you are willing to work with Latnok, as long as your home life is safe?" Grace summarized.

"Well, at least on some projects," Kyle agreed cautiously.

She thought for a moment and then answered, "That sounds like a good basis for meeting. I'll tell them to go ahead." She stood up. "This isn't a regularly scheduled meeting. We're still working out the logistics. I'll call you when I know more details." She held out her hand to Kyle. He hesitated, and then shook it. She offered it to Jessi who awkwardly followed suit. "You look so much like Sarah did," She remarked. Jessi smiled, with a hint of sadness.

Kyle and Jessi left the room. After they were safely gone, Cassidy reentered. "How did it go?"

Grace answered. "As well as I hoped, better perhaps. We are going ahead with the meeting." She met Cassidy's eyes, "They are very dangerous weapons. Do you know how to handle dangerous weapons?"

"How?" He asked uncertainly.

"You don't point them at yourself," She said grimly.


	16. Stephen and Nicole in the living room

Stephen was sitting on the couch with Nicole snuggled against his shoulder. Her eyes were red from the earlier tears, "I was so frightened when Kyle told me about his mother."

Stephen said, "Nicole, you heard him, you're his mother, this is his home. This is his family."

"It was so horrible when I lost him last time, I couldn't stand it happening again," Nicole shook her head, still afraid.

"It's not going to happen, no one is taking him away. We are his legal guardians with papers signed by his parents, the Petersen's." Stephen assured her.

Nicole frowned, "But, Stephen, you know that was all a fake!"

"But legal. They did a good job of building the records. I think it would be pretty hard for someone to build a case against us," Stephen pointed out. "And at his age, no one is going to take him away from a home he is happy with even if they could prove a relationship. Kyle isn't going anywhere, unless he wants to. And he doesn't."

Nicole thought about it for a moment and relaxed a little, sighing, "You're right." She sat a moment and said, "I never knew what I was getting us into when I brought that poor, inarticulate boy home. He just seemed special." Nicole mused, "Bringing him, and later Jessi, into our family has caused a lot of distress and pain at times."

"Yes, and joy and some amazing experiences as well. In retrospect, as a software guy, I never thought I'd help take down a multi-national corporation's secret diabolical plan." He laughed, "It was pretty frightening at the time! We did it, though. I think it's made us all stronger."

Nicole said, "But it's been rough on Josh and Lori. In trying to help Kyle and Jessi, have we shorted our own kids? You were afraid we would at first."

Stephen answered, "They're all our kids now, even Jessi -- as annoying as she can be. Josh is turning into a young man I am proud of. Lori is growing safely out of her teens. I think Kyle's presence has helped, he certainly hasn't hurt."

"With Josh and Lori, I've imagined them growing up, getting married, having children of their own and leading happy, productive lives. And, it seems to be working. With Kyle and now Jessi, I've just been focusing on helping them get their footing as people and fit into the family. I really haven't thought beyond that. How do we raise them? What should we hope for them, with their special talents?"

Stephen said, "Well, the same really, happy productive lives." He thought a moment and added, "And maybe world peace."

"Stephen, I was being serious," Nicole complained.

"So was I," Stephen assured her.

Nicole shivered and snuggled closer.


	17. Josh in the Living Room

The morning light found Josh on the couch in front of the screen playing G-Force. He was shouting instructions into his headset as he worked the controller.

"Andy, watch your six, you've got one coming up behind you. Katie, can you cover her, I'm headed around to the left." He jerked the controller and fired, shooting the 'opponent'. "Got that one, you two need backup? Ok." The screen flashed a victory display.

"We rock. Ok, bye Katie. Thanks for joining us." He set the controller down and leaned back. "It's been really hard with you out of touch, Andy. I'm glad you've finally made it to Cleveland. It will be better when your home internet gets set up and you don't have to use the coffee shop's WIFI. We'll be able to have a little more privacy." He listened, "You are a naughty girl! Ok, talk to you later." He took the earpiece out and sat looking at the screen.

"It's pretty early for G-Force." Stephen said behind him.

He looked around and saw Stephen standing in the doorway holding a cup of coffee, "Hi Dad, we had to schedule our game for Andy's time zone. They are just moving in and she doesn't have internet access at home yet. She had to go down to the local coffee shop to get online."

Stephen sat down on the couch with him, "Put's a crimp in your conversations, huh?

"Yea, but it's better than nothing. It'll get better." He looked speculatively at his father, "Dad..."

"Yes", Stephen looked cautious.

"I said I was saving money for a trip to see her," Josh said. "Would you and Mom let me visit her in Cleveland?"

Stephen sighed thoughtfully, "Well, it's possible. Andy's mothers would have to agree, of course, and there would have to be a place for you to sleep and so on." He caught the glint in Josh's eye, "An appropriate place for you to sleep. It would have to be worked around school as well." He looked at his son, "It's hard, isn't it"

Josh sighed, "Yes, I really miss her and it's going to be a long time before I can see her again. I don't think G-Force is going to be enough."

Stephen patted his shoulder, "Relationships are hard. Long distance ones even harder."

Josh slumped, "Yeah."


	18. Amanda's Door

The doorbell rang and Amanda opened the door to see Jessi.

"I don't want to talk to you," she started to close the door again.

"I don't want to talk to you either," Jessi replied.

"Then why did you ring my doorbell?" Amanda challenged.

"Because I need to talk to you anyway," Jessi explained.

Amanda stared at her for a moment, and then sighed, annoyed. She looked back into the house and then stepped outside, closing the door behind her, "We can talk out here." She sat on one end of the swing and looked up at Jessi who sat on the other end as far away as possible, "Well?"

"Nicole says that you are frightened by the things that happened to you without you knowing about them," Jessi looked at Amanda for confirmation.

"I was kidnapped from my prom!" Amanda was outraged, "I had an electronic device implanted in my brain! Kyle destroyed it with an electric charge he secretly gave me while kissing me!"

"That's what happened, and you're fine," Jessi observed.

"You don't think that's frightening?" Amanda challenged.

Jessi explained flatly, "I spent my first sixteen years as an experiment in a pod, I woke up for the first time in a fiery explosion and wandered lost until a Madacorp agent captured me. They implanted false memories to get me to betray Kyle. When I realized this I tried to kill myself by jumping off a cliff, but lived and was recaptured. Kyle rescued me and my father put me through rigorous training to impress Latnok, the same organization that kidnapped you and murdered my mother while Kyle and I were rescuing you."

Amanda stared at her for a long time. "That's pretty frightening," she finally agreed.

"Because of who Kyle and I are, there are dangers around us," Jessi explained. "There are people who want to use and control us because of what we can do. Kyle wanted to keep you safe and separate from them. He wanted to be able to be with you without worrying about all of that."

"But I can't be with Kyle and not be involved with all that, can I?" Amanda said slowly, "Kyle was wrong to think he could keep me safe and separate. Not knowing what was going on put us in danger on that boat."

"He tries as hard as he can," Jessi assured her.

Amanda looked away in thought for a moment, then turned back, "So, when I caught the two of you kissing, you really were practicing removing my memory block? You looked like you enjoyed it."

Jessi smiled, "I did. His hand felt warm and tingled on my cheek. His kiss was gentle and I felt the energy flow in through my lips and out through the side of my head to his fingers." Amanda glared and Jessi continued, "It was much better than the first time."

"The first time?" Amanda frowned.

"The first time he tried it, he didn't use his hand to cycle the flow, the charge threw me across the room and I bounced off the wall. It was stimulating, but not pleasant," Jessi observed ruefully.

Amanda absently rubbed her cheek with her hand while she looked at Jessi, "Jessi, I know you want to be with Kyle, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because Kyle loves you," Jessi explained. As a tear started down her face, she abruptly got up and left.

Amanda watched her go and then sat deep in thought.


	19. Kyle and Jessie take an evening Stroll

Kyle quietly opened the door to Jessi's room and leaned in, saying softly, "You're having a hard time sleeping too?"

Jessi sat up, "I'm thinking about the meeting tomorrow."

"Me too," Kyle admitted. "Would you like to go for a walk? We can talk without disturbing the family."

Jessi started to get up, "Sure, let me get dressed."

"I'll meet you outside," He told her.

* * *

Kyle was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, waiting as he watched Jessi quietly close the door. She came down to meet him and they started walking together. Kyle observed, "The night is so peaceful, it's nice to be just walking." he reached over and took her hand.

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" She asked.

Kyle said, "I expect Cassidy will be there. I'm sorry you are going to have to deal with him. I know that's very hard for you."

Jessi assured him, "We're a team. We'll do it together."

"A really good team," Kyle agreed. Jessie placed her other hand on his upper arm and rested her head on his shoulder. He continued, "That's probably the most powerful tool we have. We can use it both as a carrot and a stick. As a team we can accomplish great things, and they will really want to be a part of that."

Jessi smiled grimly, "As a stick, we can poke pretty hard. I'll bet Cassidy has told them about our performance at the Rack. Grace's comment about Armageddon is a good description of what could happen if the two of us got really angry."

Kyle smiled, "Yes, but what we want is for them to decide that their best course of action is agree with our plan for us to work with them on a limited basis. We want them to leave our home lives alone."

Jessi cautioned, "They can't be trusted, Sarah knew that. We have to expect that they will try to break or change the deal, assuming they make the deal."

"They'll make the deal. Grace already did," Kyle observed. "And you're right; they'll try to get their way. We have to make sure that they do it by trying to persuade us rather than by going back to threats. They may also try to turn us against each other; we have to be alert for that."

Jessi squeezed his arm, "That's not going to happen."

"No. I think our plan will work," Kyle said. "But it's still going to be dangerous."

Jessi looked at him smiling, "Are you going to protect me, Kyle?"

Kyle smiled at her, "I thought _you_ were going to protect _me_. Aren't you faster ... smarter ... stronger?"

Jessi stopped and looked earnestly into his face, eyes blazing, "I'd give my life to protect you."

Kyle caught up in the emotion answered, "I know you would. I watched you do it. I never want anything to happen to you, Jessi." He put his arms around her and they kissed, holding each other tightly.

After a minute, they broke off and rested their heads on each other shoulders, still holding tightly. Kyle finally said shakily, "There's a bench over there, let's sit down."

They sat closely together, Kyle put his arm around Jessi and she leaned into his shoulder. Jessi said, "I feel safe ... and happy."

Kyle gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, "So do I."

They sat, looking into the distance without speaking. Jessi held out her hand with Sarah's ring and mused, "I'm wearing a Latnok ring."

Kyle said, "Yes, but that's because it's Sarah's ring."

"I know, I think of it as Sarah's ring." Jessie agreed, "But it _is_ a Latnok ring, and a unique one -- the one Adam made for Sarah in the beginning. And you wear a Latnok ring too -- around your neck."

With his free hand, Kyle pulled it out of his shirt and looked at it, "Adam's ring."

"I'm sure they had great dreams for Latnok when these were made," Jessi observed.

Kyle sighed, "But Latnok failed to live up to their vision. I suspect that power and greed corrupted some of the leaders."

"And Sarah became afraid and went into hiding."

"Adam says that he failed her. I'll never fail you Jessi," he assured her. Jessi looked at him, eyes glowing. "And I don't think Adam could manage them. After Zzyzx pushed him out he focused on his studies, mostly interacting through Brian Taylor."

"And Brian had his own plans," Jessi studied the ring. "So their dream was lost. It's sad, so much promise and hope."

"And yet, there still is promise in some of what they do," Kyle commented thoughtfully. "Cassidy's experiment aside, the people at the UW group are doing good things. I like most of them."

"Except Nate." Jessi said

"Nate is competitive, he was used to being the brightest person there -- until we showed up," Kyle said. "I don't think he handled it well. I'm still not sure how he fits into all of this."

They sat quietly for a while, and then Jessi ventured, "Kyle, maybe we should try for something more."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that what you want most is to have them leave us alone," she said. "You are willing to do some work with them in exchange for that. But, in a way, that's the same thing Adam did."

"What are you thinking?" Kyle frowned.

"Maybe instead of just trying to keep Latnok from changing us, we try to change them instead, to bring them back toward Adam and Sarah's dream." Jessi suggested.

"They aren't going to really listen to us," Kyle objected. "They think of us as the result of their experiment. They are interested in us and willing to go along to have us work with them, but they have their own plans."

"Maybe, but when we show up tomorrow, _we_ will be the smartest people in the room," Jessi observed. "And we are not just an experiment, we are the descendents of Adam Baylin and Sarah Emerson, we wear their rings."

Kyle held up his ring and studied it, "We do. You think we should take a more active role? That we should try to change Latnok? We aren't really part of them, you know."

"Our existence was the original goal of Latnok. We carry on for Adam and Sarah, all of our lives have been involved with them. We _are_ Latnok, in its original vision," Jessi said with determination. "It is our birth right."

Kyle was caught up in her enthusiasm, "You're right, maybe we can do more than just have peace, maybe we can push Latnok back toward what it was supposed to be. We are a powerful team."

"It's amazing what we can accomplish when we work together," Jessi said in an echo of the night on the roof when she had been leaving with Sarah.

"It certainly is," Kyle agreed. He looked at Adam's ring for a moment and then took it off its cord and put it on his finger. He held his hand next to Jessi's. " _We_ are Latnok."


	20. Stephen's office

Steven was sitting in his university office, looking at his computer, when Mark came in and put a pile of papers on his desk, "Mr. Trager, I've graded the quizzes."

"So how did they do?" Stephen asked.

"Pretty well, some of them missed the obvious opportunity to use recursion, but in general they seem to be getting it," Mark said. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"Yes," Stephen said. "Would you please close the door and sit down." He waited while Mark followed his instructions and was sitting with a concerned look on his face. "You can tell me what you know about Latnok."

"Mr. Trager, Sir, I ... I'm not really supposed to talk about it. I signed a non-disclosure agreement. They're pretty secretive," Mark stammered.

"Mark, you've been working for me, you've been _dating_ my daughter and you're also involved with a group that has a concerning interest in Kyle," Stephen said. "I'm not going to ask about their technical secrets, but you are suspiciously involved in my family and I want an explanation."

Mark stared at him for a moment and carefully said, "Latnok supports a group of very bright technical students on campus. I've been one of them for some time. We're really like a family, we help each other. I came to work for you because I needed the experience and you had an opening. I met Lori by accident and she made an impression on me. There's nothing sinister about it. I like Lori. I like Kyle and Jessi."

"And what is your connection with Cassidy?" Stephen asked.

"Cassidy runs the place and give us guidance," Mark explained. "I will admit he can be manipulative. At first he told me I couldn't date Lori and then he said I could. He didn't explain it. I was just glad and didn't push too hard."

"So what has he said about his interest in Kyle?" Stephen asked.

"He said that he really wanted Kyle to be part of Latnok, that he would make a great addition to the group. He asks me regularly about him," Mark said. "And he's certainly right. Kyle is amazing."

"What do you know about the night of the prom?" Stephen asked.

"He had something special he wanted to do the night of the prom," Mark said. "He wanted to know exactly when Kyle was leaving, and he said that it was vital that he talk to him afterward."

"And did he?" Stephen asked.

"I think so." Mark said. "He had me meet him later and Kyle was gone. I asked if he had gotten what he wanted and he told that me he had."

"You don't know what he wanted?" Stephen said.

"No. He's pretty secretive." Mark thought for a moment, "You know, I think he's the one who told me about your job opening. He said it would be a good opportunity for me."

Stephen nodded, "You can see why I would be concerned, Can't you?"

"Of course," Mark said. He paused for a moment. "I like working for you, and I really like Lori." He hesitated and then asked, "Are we ok?"

"You and I?" Stephen asked. "Sure, as long as you're telling me the truth. If you're going to be around my family, though, I don't want you talking about our family affairs at your Latnok group. Is that understood?"

"Absolutely," Mark agreed. After a moment he asked. "Does this have anything to do with meeting Kyle at the field research facility?"

"I'm afraid I can't talk about that," Stephen said with a smile. He indicated the door.


	21. Latnok

When Kyle and Jessi arrived at the location for the board meeting, they found the door closed and a couple of muscular men in suits obviously guarding it. Upon seeing them one of them said, "Wait a moment, please." Then he spoke into a microphone at his wrist.

In a moment, the door opened to let a tall thin blonde woman through. She looked at them with a bright smile, "Kyle, Jessi, I'm Gabrielle, I work for the board. They are still working through their agenda. You are the last item and should be coming up soon. Would you mind waiting out here until they get to you."

"Of course not," Kyle answered.

"Good, I'll come back for you then. Is there anything you need in the meantime?" She asked, "Something to drink?"

Kyle answered, "No, we're fine."

They sat in a couple of nearby chairs.

_I recognized the facility. The last time I had been here, we had been trying to escape with Amanda. Jessi had come out that door carrying her, while I got hit with that rubber bullet. I hoped that this meeting would have a better result._

Kyle reached over and took Jessi's hand. She smiled at him, they waited in silence.

The door opened once more and Gabrielle came though. "They're ready for you now. Would you come this way?" They walked along a short curved corridor to a red door. She opened it and waved them in.

As they entered the room, they saw the large, round table. There were twelve lighted places, eleven of them were taken. The empty one had two chairs placed at it. Gabrielle closed the door behind them.

Grace was sitting across from the empty spot. She stood up and said, "Welcome, Kyle, Jessi, we thought it would make poetic sense for the two of you to share Adam's place, she indicated the open space. Kyle took the chair on the right, Jessi the one on the left. As they sat, Grace sat back down. Cassidy was not at the table but was seated behind her to the right. The Asian woman to Kyle's right gave them a welcoming smile. The bald man to Jessi's left glanced at them coldly but then looked away. Jessi moved slightly closer to Kyle.

The light haired gentleman to Grace's left said, "I'm Ben Crossgate. I am currently chairman of the board. I would like to start by extending our apologies for the manner in which we first contacted you. It was ill conceived and caused unnecessary harm. I'm hoping we can work through that."

Kyle answered, "So are we. That's why we are here."

Crossgate continued, "I notice you are both wearing Latnok rings, which is a pleasant surprise. I hope it represents a good omen. I haven't seen the red one in a long time. Grace, I believe you met with Kyle and Jessi, would you like to summarize the situation for us?"

Grace said, "Certainly. Our misguided approach to Kyle, involving the kidnapping of Amanda Bloom, generated an understandable level of distrust. Additionally there were events related to the destruction of an unauthorized experiment that generated a high level of hostility. In a reasonable attempt to stabilize the situation, Kyle requested a meeting with this board. Kyle has indicated a desire to have direct knowledge of us. Kyle and Jessi offer to work with Latnok on a limited basis and desire, in exchange, an assurance that no further threats will be made or actions taken against their family. Is that essentially correct, Kyle?"

Kyle answered, "Yes, Adam told me that you were visionaries, great humanitarians. But kidnapping my girlfriend and threatening my family doesn't generate trust. I know that Sarah Emmerson distrusted this organization and now she is gone. I've wanted to stay away. But I've seen good work being done under Latnok's guidance at the university and know that there are things that Jessi and I can do to help. We are willing to do that but not while our loved ones are at risk."

Grace said, "Speaking for the board, I can assure you that no one from Latnok has any intention of presenting any threat to your family. Please, set your mind at ease on that matter." She looked around, "Does anyone have any comments?"

The heavy set man to Grace's right said, "I will admit to being puzzled that we invited the girl to the meeting as well as Kyle. I thought that we had made a determination to work solely with him."

Kyle said, "Jessi and I are a team. I insisted that we either both come or neither of us would."

The Asian looking woman to Kyle's right said, "Mike, We may have been wrong in that judgment. I would like to point out that our kidnapping resulted in the two of them working together to stage a rather effective raid on this facility. Jessi is obviously quite capable. We may have done Brian Taylor an injustice."

A man a couple of seats to the left of Jessi said, "Along the lines of effective raids, they also carried out an effective termination of the unauthorized experiment." He looked at Kyle, "This does trouble me, though, why would you terminate an attempt to repeat the process that yielded the two of you? You are proof of its success."

Kyle answered, "You wanted to create people with advanced abilities. You have succeeded. But as those people, we have to tell you that growing up in a family, with contact with others is an essential part of living in the human race. Jessi and I strongly feel the lack of that childhood. Entering the world as teenagers with no background was traumatic. I had the luck that Nicole Trager found me right away, it took longer for Jessi and she's had more trouble." Kyle gave Jessi a reassuring smile. Kyle continued, "I have heard that you were more interested in me than Jessi, because I seemed more stable, but I will remind you that Zzyzx was going to terminate me because, even unconscious, I began to take control of the situation and posed a threat to them. We are not machines, we are human beings." Kyle looked around the table and continued, "We have no interest in harming anyone, all we want is to try to connect with people and do some good in the world." He paused for a moment and added, "But ... If we didn't care about hurting people, we would have the potential to do great harm. And that potential is growing as we learn to use our abilities." Kyle paused, letting that sink in and continued, "The experiment was an attempt to create dozens of people like us with vast intellect and unusual capabilities with an impaired connection to the human race. They would be uncontrollable and, being individuals, have a variety of approaches to the world. Inevitably, some would not have our inhibitions toward causing harm. It was a recklessly dangerous thing to attempt. It would have ended in disaster."

The man to the left of Crossgate said, "Kyle, I'm Ryan Melland, it is amazing to finally meet you, to meet both of you. But we've sought to enhance human abilities for the last twenty years, are you telling me we must abandon that?"

Kyle answered, "No, but you need to focus on the fact that it isn't just intellect that you are seeking but people who successfully interact with other people. And, perhaps we were too far to go in one step. The gap between us and even the brightest people at the University Latnok office is great." Kyle opened his hands, "Also, the first way you accomplish something is not necessarily the best way. It may be possible with our activated brains to find other, less drastic ways of improving people's ability to use their own brains."

Crossgate said, "I think that is going to be a long discussion, and personally, I think it is obvious that Kyle and Jessi should be a part of it. They have a perspective that none of us can fully understand." He paused for a moment, looking at the Latnok ring on Kyle's hand. "We had thought that someday you would take Adam's seat. Seeing you sitting in it, wearing his ring makes me wonder if that day is now."

Ryan Melland said, "We did talk about that possibility. It seems early, but I can see your point about including them in the discussion." He looked around the table, "Certainly no one can say that his intellect falls short of our standards!" There were quiet chuckles around the room.

Kyle objected, "I am willing to be a part of this organization, or I wouldn't be wearing Adam's ring. But Jessi deserves to be as well. You have underestimated her. She is as capable as I am."

Crossgate said, "Kyle, our rules limit us to twelve board members. We've kept Adam's seat open in his honor, but we do have only one available spot."

The Asian woman next to Kyle said, "They've said that they're a team. They're currently sharing Adam's place, why don't we let them share the seat."

The bald man sitting next to Jessi frowned, "That's very unusual, Allana, how would that work?"

Allana answered, "We could consider them as sending a representative to the board. They could decide who is going to take the seat at any meeting. They would only have one vote, of course."

A white haired man across the table to Kyle's left said. "I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. I admit we miss Adam, but Kyle is still a teenager. He may have Adam's ring, but he isn't Adam. Is it really appropriate to put him on the board at this time, not to mention the girl? This is all very sudden."

The Black woman to his right said, "Paul, they represent what we were formed to try to achieve. What we dreamed of twenty years ago. Yes, they need to gain experience, but having them meet with us will let them learn from us. I'd like to see them regularly."

The man who had questioned Jessi's participation said, "I could be comfortable with having Kyle on the board. We have talked about that in the past. I'm less comfortable having Jessi on it as well, she has demonstrated less stability. I mean no offence, Jessi. Kyle has explained the differences in your paths to date. I suppose, though, I would be willing for Kyle to have her sit in for him at a meeting so I guess it amounts to the same thing. Clearly there is no secrecy issue."

The bald man said, "I think it's premature, but I'm not adamantly against it. The idea of having Kyle in that seat is not new, as you say."

Crossgate said, "We may be getting ahead of ourselves. Jessi, you haven't said that you were willing to serve."

Jessi said, "If Kyle is willing to, so am I."

Crossgate said, "So, this looks like it may be a viable path. Does anyone have anything they feel they need to add before we have a motion?" He looked around, "Ok, then, do we have a motion?"

Allana smiled at them, "I move that Kyle and Jessi share Adam's seat at the board rotated between them at their discretion."

Grace nodded, "I second the motion."

Crossgate said, "Ok, in favor?" Most of the hands went up. "Opposed?" The bald man and a couple others raised their hands. He continued, "The record should indicate that the motion carried. Kyle, Jessi, welcome to the Latnok board."

Mike, the man sitting to Grace's right said, "Kyle, Jessi, welcome. I'm Mike Kasperson, by the way. You say that you are willing to work with us on a limited basis. Could you explain what you mean by limited? It's very important that we explore what you can do."

Kyle looked at him, "Well, first, as I explained, it is important that we continue to learn to connect with people. While the normal activities of teenagers might seem trivial compared to the matters you deal with, we need to have as normal a life as possible with our family. There may also be projects that we disagree with or do not wish to participate in. We will not be forced into working on things we feel are unethical."

Mike shrugged and looked around the table, "No one is asking you to do anything unethical. That seems reasonable to me. You would continue working with Cassidy at the University of Washington group?"

Jessi said, "I won't work with Cassidy, he murdered my mother. He killed Sarah."

Cassidy stood up from his place behind Grace and looked around the room nervously, "Jessi, I know you think that, and I'm sorry, but I've told you I don't know what happened to Sarah." He spread his hands and looked to the table in general, "I don't."

"You're lying," Jessi said, "I can hear your heartbeat when you lie." Kyle put his hand on Jessie's arm and she looked at him and nodded. She looked around the table and explained, "Kyle and I can have acute hearing when we wish, we also have a holographic memory. We can perfectly remember any place we've been." She looked back at Cassidy, rage rebuilding, "I remember standing next to you in the hallway while you carried a basket of clothes with visible blood on them. We were able to follow a blood trail from Sarah's apartment to yours. I could hear her heartbeat coming from your apartment, slowing as she died." Jessi glanced down, swallowed, and then glared at Cassidy again, "You kept me standing talking to you in the hallway while my mother died."

The monitor on the wall behind him shattered in a splash of sparks. Several board members jumped in reaction.

Jessi finished accusingly, "I was there. I remember everything." Cassidy looked around then sat back down in the face of Jessi's glare.

The room was silent for a long moment. Mike Kasperson stared at the monitor and then back at Jessi. Finally, Ben Crossgate broke the silence. "Kyle?" he asked looking at him.

Kyle gave Jessi's arm a reassuring squeeze and said firmly, "One of the things the two of us can do together is that we can share memories. We do need the other's cooperation for this. With Jessi's permission, I shared her memories of that night. I experienced the memory of everything that happened myself. That's what she experienced."

There was a long moment of silence as the tension level in the room came down from the peak of Jessi's accusation and the pyrotechnics. Grace broke the silence "I have a suggestion."

Crossgate said, "Grace..."

Grace continued, looking around the table, "Obviously this will have to be dealt with further. I don't think, though, that here is the proper time and venue. Clearly though, Kyle and Jessi cannot be expected to work with Cassidy. In fact," she said, looking at Jessi, "I think it would be wise to avoid them having further interactions with him altogether." There were nods around the table. "If it is acceptable to the board, I would be willing to personally take over the management of the University of Washington group, at least temporarily. Would this be acceptable to you, Jessi?"

Jessi reluctantly looked away from Cassidy and nodded, "Yes."

Grace continued, "And to you Kyle?"

Kyle said, "If it's ok with Jessi, then it's ok with me."

Ben Crossgate said, "That seems reasonable to me. Does anyone have any objection?" He looked around the table and saw none. "Then that's what we'll do. Thank you, Grace."

He took a deep breath, "Does anyone have anything else?" No one said anything. He continued, "Well, this certainly has to be one of the most dramatic meetings during my tenure ... I declare the meeting adjourned. Gabrielle will be in touch with you with details of the next meeting. Thank you all."

Grace said, "Kyle, Jessi, please stay behind. We need to get a couple of details straightened out."

Kyle took Jessi's hand, and she smiled at him. They watched the members leave. Several nodded to them, a couple smiled. Cassidy didn't look at them. As they were leaving, Grace got up from her seat and took the seat next to Kyle.

When they were alone, she looked at Jessi then said, "Tomorrow morning, Cassidy and I will announce to the students at the University group that I am taking over direct management. We'll get him cleared out in the morning. It would be better if you avoided the facility until he's gone. Later in the afternoon, if you could come by, I'll make the further announcement that the two of you will be designated as assistant directors. You clearly stand above the students and having that position might make it more palatable. they are a competitive group and very bright by normal standards. Is that acceptable?"

Kyle looked at Jessi who nodded to him and then said, "It will be fine."

She smiled, "Good, tomorrow is a new day for Latnok!"

_The meeting we had dreaded was over. I had gone there concerned about what the Latnok board would do to Amanda and my family. Now I was on the Latnok board, along with Jessi. It may have been what Adam Baylin had intended when he passed his ring to me. Amanda and the Tragers were safe. Jessie and I had what we wanted as well as a new role at the UW Latnok group. Everything would be perfect, except for one thing. Grace Kingsley was lying to us._


	22. Mark and Lori at the Rack

Mark and Lori huddled over their drinks at the Rack. Mark said, "Your father really grilled me today."

"He didn't ask you what your intentions were, did he," Lori said playfully.

"Well, actually, he sort of did," Mark admitted ruefully. "But mostly it was about Kyle and Latnok."

"Ah, interrogating the Latnok spy," Lori said nodding. She picked up one of his hands and looked at it, then the other one. "You seem to still have your fingernails. So, what did you confess to?"

"Mostly liking you," Mark said.

Lori gave him a little kiss, "Only liking? You didn't tell him about our passionate rendezvous?"

"You know, I was so worried about what he would do to me over Latnok that I forgot to be afraid of what he would do to me over that!" Mark said, shaken.

"Shot, hung, does it really matter?" Lori teased.

"He wanted to know about my relationship with Cassidy. I told him that Cassidy had asked me questions about Kyle to try to get him to come to Latnok," Mark told her. "Your father made me promise that I would not report on Trager family business to Cassidy or anyone else at Latnok."

"You better not or it's me you are going to have to be afraid of!" Lori said outraged.

"I won't, trust me." Mark thought for a moment and continued, "He seemed to be concerned about the night of your prom. Did something unusual happen the night of your prom?"

"Only Latnok kidnapping Kyle and Amanda," Lori said.

"Seriously, did something happen the ..." He paused, "You are serious!"

"Absolutely, he went back to get something and when he came out, Amanda was gone. Then something knocked him out," Lori said. "He woke up being held in a lab, he broke out and escaped."

"I remember him coming back in for a bag," Mark said.

"We spent the night looking all over for her," Lori continued.

Mark remembered, "So when you talked to me on the phone about Amanda, you weren't in dire need of lip gloss. That never made sense."

Lori nodded, "I was searching for Amanda. That was a lame excuse for why. Kyle and Jessi finally found where they were holding her and rescued her. She was unconscious the whole time. She thinks she passed out from the spiked punch. Kyle doesn't want us to tell her and spoil her memory of prom."

"I can't believe I was a part of this. Lori, I had no idea." He paused, "I mean I knew Cassidy was somewhat obsessed with getting Kyle for the group, but Kyle is a find, so it made sense. I just thought we were bright people working together."

"Well, mostly you are, at least that's what Kyle says," Lori assured him. "But there are people with pretty nasty plans there too, Cassidy for sure. Watch yourself, there are bigger dangers than being yelled at by my Father."


	23. Trager Kitchen

Stephen and Nicole were waiting at the kitchen table, obviously anxious, when Kyle and Jessi returned from the meeting. As they sat down, Nicole said, "I'm glad you're back. We want to hear all about it. Can I get you something to drink?"

Kyle looked at her and gave her a big smile, "Juice me." Nicole laughed and visibly relaxed. She got up and went to get juice and a glass.

Jessi watched the interchange, puzzled, "I'd like juice too."

Stephen said, "So, how did it go?"

Kyle smiled, "It went well. They apologized for kidnapping Amanda. They said that no one from Latnok would be a threat to her or our family in the future. As we planned, we agreed to work on things with them but only those things we felt we could do so ethically."

"So, you've met the board of Latnok now, what were they like?" Nicole said.

"We'd already met Grace. Some seemed friendly, some less friendly. I wouldn't say that any of them were obviously hostile. I think that most of them are the original Latnok board. They were all Adam's and Sarah's age."

"That's changed now," Jessi said smiling.

"Yes," Kyle nodded, "they have asked us to have a seat on the board."

"They wanted both of you on the board?" Stephen said, "Did you agree?"

Kyle explained, "Actually we are sharing a single seat. They said the board was limited to twelve members and they already had eleven. They were holding Adam's seat open."

"I think they were saving it for Kyle," Jessi said. "But he insisted that I be included so they said we could share it."

Nicole was concerned, "You agreed to be on their board, Kyle? Are you sure that's safe?"

"I went hoping to know more about them. They know everything about us and we've known almost nothing about them. This will allow let us know more," Kyle said. "I'm not sure anything is completely safe, but it is safer."

Stephen pointed at Kyle's hand, "I noticed you were wearing Adam's Latnok ring on your finger. I've never seen you wear it before. I wondered what your reason was for you putting it on."

"Jessi reminded me that Latnok belonged to us as well as them. It was Adam's creation, along with Sarah. We have Adam and Sarah's rings. Maybe we can push Latnok back toward their vision." Kyle said.

"That's very ambitious," Nicole warned.

"It's more of an idea than a plan," Kyle admitted. "We'll see what happens."

"What did they say about the pods that Cassidy was building?" Stephen asked.

"They said that they were unauthorized. They did wonder why we objected. I explained to them that the idea of having dozens of extremely bright people with unusual powers and a poor integration to humanity was dangerous," Kyle smiled at Nicole, "I have a psychologist for a Mother."

Nicole smiled in return.

Stephen said "And what about Cassidy?"

"Jessie accused him of Sarah's murder. Some of the electronics were damaged in the process," Kyle looked at Jessi and she grinned in memory. "They decided that he should go away and not be around us anymore. Grace will be managing the UW group directly."

"We'll be assistant directors," Jessi added.

Nicole frowned, "This sounds pretty good, Kyle but can you trust them."

Kyle said bluntly, "No." Nicole was taken aback. Kyle elaborated, "Grace is definitely being less than honest with us. Some of the others were hiding things too. This is not about trusting them; it's about gathering more information, and keeping our family safe."

"They are very good liars," Jessi said, "Usually we can tell what someone is lying about. With them we could just tell that they were being deceptive."

"So there is still something going on?" Nicole asked.

"Maybe not going on, possibly just being thought about. It's hard to say," Kyle explained. "But the important thing is to move from kidnappings and attacks in the night to a battle of wits." He looked at Jessi and smiled, "We are good at wits."

"Not too bad at attacks in the night, either," Jessi added.


	24. Foss's Warehouse

Declan entered the warehouse carrying a bag of fast food and a couple of drinks. "All this dodging back and forth lets the food get cold," He complained.

"Better the food than your dead body," Foss laughed. "And that's why we have a microwave."

"I suppose so," Declan admitted, "Although it doesn't taste all that good before we reheat it. Has anything been happening?"

"Yes," Foss said. "I've heard from Kyle about the meeting."

"How did it go?"

"Kyle and Jessi have gotten themselves put on the Latnok board," Foss shook his head in wonder. "I will admit that's surprising. In his last few years Adam had been trying to stay away from them. I hope he knows what he's doing."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," Declan observed.

"Yes," Foss agreed, "Are you a student of strategy?"

"I dated Lori Trager," Declan explained. "So what does this mean for us?"

"Well, for you it means you don't have to man the surveillance this evening."

"So, it's over? Declan asked looking at his reheated burger.

"No it will never be over, but it will be less intense. At least for a while," Foss said. "That should be good for your social life."

"Great. I can give Jackie a call and tell her I'm available after all," Declan celebrated. Then he frowned slightly, "But I'll kind of miss it."

Foss said, "If you'd like we can continue some of the training, maybe spend some time on the range. It might come in handy. With Kyle there will always be a 'next time'."

"I'd like that." Declan said.


	25. Kyle's Room

Kyle was sitting in his room, looking at Amanda's picture on the wall when he heard her heartbeat at the door.

"Amanda!" he said, getting up and turning to see her in his doorway.

Amanda hesitantly stepped through the doorway, "Kyle" she said in a small voice, "I'm sorry I ran away from you. I was just so scared, I couldn't think."

"I didn't want you to be frightened," Kyle assured her. "I wanted to keep you safe and happy."

"But Kyle, I wasn't safe, I was in danger. Not knowing the danger caused me to go onto the boat, 'the White Rabbit', Jessi almost drowned."

"I know" Kyle said, "I wanted to tell you for so long but Foss told me that it would be safer for you if you didn't know. He was wrong, I'm so sorry."

Amanda had moved into the room and was standing directly in front of Kyle. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes, "Kyle, thank you for telling me your story. The things you have done, the things you can do are amazing and magical. I want to be a part of your life. Promise me you will never let us be in danger without telling me again."

Kyle said, "I promise." Amanda took his head in her hands and kissed him.

After a time, she leaned her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. In a small voice she added, "And no secret electric brain surgery."

"No secret electric brain surgery," Kyle agreed with a smile.

_I had been afraid that I would never kiss Amanda again, never hold her in my arms. Standing there with the memory of her kiss on my lips and my arms wrapped around her I felt warm and content. My happiness was complete. Complete, except for the part of me that sensed Jessi's surge of sorrow from her room and wanted to rush in and comfort her._


	26. UW Latnok Office

Grace led Kyle and Jessi into the center of the UW Latnok work area. She said "Everyone gather around, I have another announcement." She paused while the students set their work aside. "I would like to announce that we have asked Kyle and Jessi to be assistant directors. They will work for me and, if I am not available you can contact them about supplies, equipment and so on. Many of you have worked with them already and know that they can bring an astonishing insight to many problems. I urge you to seek their assistance whenever possible."

There was a small applause. Jessi commented quietly to Kyle, "It's you they are applauding."

Kyle said, "Give them time. The ones who listen to you will do very well. The others will learn."

A number of the students they had worked with came up and congratulated them, and then went back to their various projects.

Kyle went over to Jackie and asked, "How's your plant growth project coming?"

Jackie said, "The growth is great, but I'm wondering if I can increase the absorbable protein."

Kyle called Jessi over and pointed to the genetics display. He explained, "Jackie is trying to increase absorbable protein, what do you think?"

Jessie pointed to a spot, and said, "She could transplant a gene here."

Jackie said, "That would work, what should we do on the matching allele? I would assume homozygous."

Jessi said, "Perhaps. We could try a heterozygous approach, if they are co-dominant, we would have variety within the same crop. That could provide a broader spectrum."

Kyle left them talking and walked over to where Mark was obviously watching him.

Mark said, "So, it looks like I made the right choice the other night."

"I really appreciated your help," Kyle said.

"I want you to know that you can always count on me. Anything you need," Mark said. He looked inquisitively at Kyle, "Am I ever going to find out what was really going on?"

"Probably not," Kyle grinned. "It might be better not to. It's good to know I can count on you, though."

Mark shook his head as Kyle walked away.

Nate was watching too. When there was no one near him, Kyle went over and said. "I think we have some things to talk about."

"Like your sending Amanda to spy on me? That was quite a setup. She had me fooled with her innocent act. I fell for it completely. I should have known she was too good to be true."

Kyle bristled, "Amanda wasn't spying on you."

Nate snorted, "I caught her and Jessi stealing my files."

"That was after she accidentally found them," Kyle protested. He looked intently at Nate, "There is one question I need the answer to. How did you get Sarah's ring?"

Nate looked blank, "Whose ring? Oh, was that the red Latnok ring? Why should I tell you?"

"Did Cassidy give it to you or did you take it out of his safe?" Kyle asked.

"I don't have to answer that," Nate said.

"You already have. I wonder how you got into his safe? I guess we can discuss that some other time." Kyle said, and then he turned and walked away.


	27. Grace's office

Nicole stood for a moment gathering her nerve and then knocked on the door. Grace opened it and said, "Nicole I'm glad you stopped by. I've been wanting to talk to you." Grace gestured toward one of the seats in front of her desk, "Come in, sit down, can I get you anything?"

"No, thank you." Nicole said, sitting in the indicated chair. She waited until Grace had returned to her seat to continue, "I thought that it would be a good idea if we met. We both have an interest in Kyle and Jessi. Kyle is a part of our family and Jessi is settling in nicely."

"And you want to see if I have plans to interfere?" Grace raised her eyebrows, "That's a perfectly reasonable concern." She smiled reassuringly, "Let me set your mind at ease. I have no intention of asserting any parental rights with respect to Kyle. Kyle thinks of you as his mother and is fiercely protective of his home. You are all very important to him."

Nicole visibly relaxed, "Frankly that's a relief. Kyle and to a greater degree Jessi are perhaps more adrift emotionally than your average teenager, and I have a couple of them for comparison. Because of their history and abilities, it's a struggle for them to figure out how they are going to interact with the rest of the world. I would hate to see that disrupted."

"Kyle made a compelling case for the importance of that at the board meeting." Grace agreed, "And let me express our gratitude to you for taking in Jessi. We were very worried about what could happen with her adrift. With your background and the experience you've had with Kyle, you represent the best chance for keeping her stable. She has inherited a good deal of Sarah's adventurousness."

"You knew Sarah?" Nicole ventured.

"Oh yes, in the old days when Adam was bringing us together we were all very close. We ate a lot of pizza together. She was stunningly brilliant and intuitive, but could go off on a tangent at the drop of a hat." Grace mused.

"About Sarah's disappearance...," Nicole began.

Grace interrupted, "Nicole, we will be dealing with that. I think it's best that you let us take care of it. After all, I just said I wouldn't interfere in your family. Allow me to deal with mine. I will assure you that Michael will not be interacting with your family further."

Nicole reluctantly agreed, "That's fair, I guess. I was wondering what their new roles here would entail. I want to make sure we're on the same page mother to ...," she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

Grace smiled, "Nicole, it would probably be best if you thought of me like a grandparent. I have a genetic interest and a certain personal pride at being part of him, but you and Stephen are his parents." She paused to let that sink in and then continued, "Well, their jobs are real, I can't be here full time and there will be times when one or the other of them has to handle administrative things such as purchasing items for student projects etc. There is a pretty nice budget for this facility and the bright kids make the most of it. I also want to see them assisting the various projects, and they will undoubtedly have their own. It's still just part time. They can fit it around school schedules and other activities."

"I think that will work fine," Nicole agreed.

"There is one other thing I should mention so that it doesn't come as a surprise to you," Grace continued. "We will be paying them a small stipend, a thousand a month at this stage. That will look reasonable on the books since they will have legal authority."

"That's a lot for a high school student," Nicole observed.

"It's much less than their time is actually worth," Grace said. "They should be able to get cars and have a little pocket change. That will help with their schedule."

"And they should put something aside for college," Nicole added reflexively.

Grace laughed, "Oh, Nicole. That is _not_ going to be a problem."

"I suppose not," Nicole agreed. "Well, I won't take up any more of your time. It really helps to have talked to you about this."

Grace got up and led her toward the door. "Drop by any time. We have a couple of very special teenagers to guide. We need to work together." She held out her hand, Nicole shook it and left the room. Grace closed the door and then went back to her desk and dialed a number.

"I've got them settled in here and have just met with Nicole Trager. I think I've gotten all the ruffled feathers smoothed out and the threat level down. We can proceed as planned, I still think that Jessi will be the most vulnerable spot, but Kyle has Adam's desire to think the best of people, that could be useful too. Having known Sarah and Adam at about their age really helps." She listened for a moment and said. "Well, Michael was trying brute force, which was a very bad plan. He has feelings of inferiority with respect to Kyle, of course, who wouldn't? He is unfortunately not sufficiently bright and not particularly patient. These are failings I don't share." She hung up the phone and sat lost in thought, a smile on her face.


End file.
